Because You Were Gone
by Theproblemwithforever
Summary: After waking up in a hospital room and finding out that the bullet Daemon took for her had proven to be fatal, Katy's not sure she has the strength to go on, but when word comes that Nancy Husher, the woman responsible for Daemon's death, is on the loose, Katy will stop at nothing to get her revenge. But what she doesn't know is Nancy has secrets of her own. P.S: DAEMON IS ALIVE!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

BEFORE:

"Daemon?" I whispered cautiously. Something felt off. My body felt stiff and sore like I'd just run a marathon and forgot to stretch first. I couldn't remember where I was or what was happening. Slowly, I began to open my eyes. The bright white light of a hospital room intruded on my sight and caused me to wince. Aware of the dull ache in my chest, I carefully sat up and took a quick inventory of my surroundings. Everything was white. The walls, the lights, the bed sheets, the small nightstand in the corner. Even the vase and flowers sitting on top if it. Before I could get too freaked out the door slammed open and in rushed what could only be described as a frantic Dee. Before I could utter a single question Dee hurled herself at me, arms wrapped in a vice grip around my neck and face buried inbetween the space of my neck and shoulder. Not too far behind her was Archer, followed by Dawson and a noticeably pregnant Beth. Out of everything, that one had me doing a double take. The last time I could remember seeing Beth she hadn't even been showing. How long had I been out? And where was Daemon? Suddenly, everything came rushing back. My Mom, Nancy, the gun, the bullet that had been meant for me, Daemon being shot, the blood. Oh God, so much blood. A strangled cry escaped my lips as the peices slowly began to slip into place. This couldn't be happening. No. Daemon and I were supposed to have a lifetime together. We were supposed to be happy. We defeated the invading Luxen and saved the world. This was supposed to be our happily ever after. Except everything was wrong. I couldn't breathe. No. "What's going on? Where's Daemon? What's happened?" I asked. I hated how my voice shook. I was met with silence. Dee kept her face hidden in my neck, but her body trembled violently, making mine shake along with hers. Dawson and Beth wouldn't even look at me. The only one in the room willing to meet my gaze was Archer, who's eyes were filled with pain and sympathy. In that moment my suspicions were confirmed and my heart irreversibly shattered. Suddenly, loud soul shattering sobs wracked my body before I'd even realized it. Soon Dee's cries, along with Beth's, began to mingle with my own. Dawson wrapped his arms around Beth, while Archer did the same for both me and Dee, both their shoulders hunched in grief. I didn't know how long we cried or when we stopped, but when everyone had decided to head home, it was well passed midnight. The only one who had stayed was Dee. She'd squished herself onto the hospital bed with me and we'd held eachother as we'd continued to cry long after the others had left. By this time a feeling of numbness had settled over me. A feeling I was pretty sure was permenate. As of right then my hopes and dreams, my plans for the future, disappeared. How was I supposed to continue with them when the only person I'd ever planned on sharing them with had been stolen from me? As Dee and I began to quiet down I began asking questions."How long was I out, Dee?" My voices was low and hoarse sounding due to hours of sobbing. Sniffling, Dee answered, her voice just as rough as mine. "About 3 months. God, Katy, we were so worried! The doctors weren't sure you were ever going to wake up. Something about too much blood loss and swelling of the brain... I was so scared. I couldn't lose you. None of us could. Not after..." Then another round of sobbing. Then, suddenly Dee's cries came to a halt. "Kat, there's something I need to tell you. The others didn't think you should know, but I think you have right to. Nancy... She's alive. She's out there, somewhere and..." Dee kept talking, but I couldn't hear her over the roar in my ears and the overwhelming rage building in my core,overshadowing the grief and the pain and everything, really. I was no longer heartbroken and confused. Now I was angry and wanted revenge so badly I could taste it. My life had one sole purpose now. I was going to find Nancy Husher and I was going to kill her if it was the last thing I did.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Author's note: No, even I'm not that cruel. Of course Daemon is alive! There is no story without him, Lol. But this is the last spoiler I will give!

Before: Daemon's Pov

Three months earlier:

As soon as the guards unlocked the metal manacles around my wrists I jerked out of their grasp and called upon the source, but before I could blast their pathetic asses into next week, a sharp voice filled with steel rang out behind me."I wouldn't do that if I were you, Daemon."

I knew that voice. I loathed that voice. Nancy Husher. I forced a smirk, despite the cold wind that whipped through me at the sound of her voice. "Would you give us a minute, Nancy?" I said, gesturing between me and the guards."We were just getting to know eachother." She smiled coldly. "I assure you, we will have plenty of time for such pleasantries later, Daemon. Now, on to more important matters like why you are giving my men such a hard time. Care to explain?"

I struggled to keep myself in check, because she knew damn well why." Hmm, well let's see, there the fact that you practically kidnapped me and I have no idea where I am or that you're supposed to be dead. Take your pick." Her cold smile remained in the place throughout my little rant, but from the strain in her eyes, I could tell she was struggling to maintain her composure just as I was. This knowledge filled me with an absurd amount of glee that fought to show itself in the form of a smirk. As if she knew what I was thinking, she dropped the cool facade entirely, causing her eyes to go bright with malice and her face to twist unattractively in anger."You bright this on yourselves, both of you. If you and Katy had just stayed out my way, none of this would have happened, but thanks to you and your whore, my job, my life's work, all down the drain."

Upon hearing her name my chest gave a sharp tug. Ever since I'd woken up in my cell, I'd carefully avoided thinking about her because I knew it would do me no good, but I clung to the knowledge that wherever she was, at least she was safe. I snorted. "Well it looks to me as if you got exactly what you deserved."

Yeah, antagonizing her probably wasn't the smartest thing to do for someone in my position, but I'd never been known for doing the smart thing. Instead of blowing up like I expected, her smile only grew into a creepy as hell grin. "And you will too." She promised quietly. " It looks as if you and I will be spending a lot of time together, Daemon, because you and I will be going on a little trip. And don't worry about your family. As far as they know, the bullet wound you received had proved to be fatal and you have already been cremated. No one will be looking for you. And if you do not cooperate, I'll make sure to kill every last one of them, including your precious kitten, got that?" A lethal mix of dread and numbness stirred in the pit if my stomach. There was no way out of this one. I would have to do as Nancy said if I wanted to keep my family safe. As this knowledge began to sink in, so did a level of rage and helplessness I'd never felt before.

This didn't mean that I was going to give up on ever seeing Kat again, but I knew that for now, there was nothing that could be done about the current situation. Kat. My throat burned at the thought of what she had to be going through right now. I could only hope that my siblings were helping her cope and that she would eventually heal. Inhaling a deep breath through my nose, I let it eke it's way out before asking my next question. "So what does this 'Little Trip' entail, exactly?" I asked, calmly. A look of determination settled over her features. "I'm going to finish what I started and you're going to help me."

My eyes widened. "And how am I supposed to do that?" I asked, bewildered. As far as I knew, Luc still had all the origins and Nancy had to be off her rocker if she thought she could successfully steal then back. Her lips twisted into a sneer. "Of course, all my research and data along with those origins have been either destroyed or taken, which now only leaves me with one option. Start from scratch. And as you can probably guess, you will be the key element to do so." Before I could ask her what that meant, she nodded to the four guards behind me and they, in turn, held me down and cuffed me once more.

I could have put up a fight and probably taken a couple out before getting a face full of onyx, but at this point I knew it wasn't worth it. Nancy would just punish me by taking her anger out on my family and Kat.

Once they had check to make sure the manacles were secure, they blindfolded me and dragged me outside and onto what had to be a helicopter. As we ascended into the air, I sent a silent message to Kat in hopes that wherever she was, she would hear it. I'll find you, Kitten. Don't lose hope.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Author's note: Hi, guys! Just wanted to let you know that I will try to update as soon as possible, but I have a really busy week ahead of me, so don't be surprised if I don't update nearly as much as I have been. I want to thank everyone who has decided to give my story a chance. Thank you! I also wanted to give a special shout out to Anne's Krazy Obsession for being the first to review! I look forward to seeing more of your reviews as my story progresses.

Now:

Katy's Pov:

"Please don't do this." Dee pleaded quietly while I finished packing my suitcase. "You only just got back from the hospital and the doctor told you to take it easy while you recover. He said there could be serious complications if you're under too much stress!" Dee said, while wiping a few stray tears off her face."I agree," Dawson said, stepping forward. "It's not safe, and you aren't even completely healed yet. This is a bad idea." I leveled them both with a look. "You know why I have to do this, guys..." I whispered.

"Of course we do," Beth piped in from the couch where she had deposited herself this morning when the twins had stopped by as last ditch effort to keep me from going. "And out of everyone, you have the most reason to, but what we don't understand is why you won't just let Luc and Archer handle this. Why do you need to be with them? You could get hurt or worse and what good will that do? Don't you think this family has suffered enough loss as it is? Is revenge really that important to you?"

By this point, Beth had tears streaming down her face. Dawson was by her side instantly, cooing at her and wiping the tears away with his thumbs in effort to calm her down. Apparently stress wasn't good for the baby or so he told me. As soon as she calmed down, he shot me a look over his shoulder as if to say 'see what you're doing'. Seeing the worry in Dawson's eyes and the tear streaked faces of Dee and Beth made me feel the worst kind of guilt, but it didn't lessen my resolve.

I knew I had to be there, I had to be the one to do this, in order to gain the closure I so desperately needed and to put an end to the constant nightmares that plagued my me in my sleep. "Look, I don't expect you to understand, but I need you to accept-" The harsh knocking on the front door interrupted me. Sighing, I shoved the last of my things in my suitcase and hauled it downstairs while the others followed me to the door to meet a very impatient Archer.

"Jesus, Kat, where have you been? If you don't hurry we'll miss our flight." He said, clearly annoyed. But that was Archer. These days he was short-tempered and quick to lash out. That just goes to show how losing Daemon had changed us all. Archer's shoulders slumped when his gaze found Dee's.

Lately those two had been getting incredibly close and from what Archer had confided in me, I knew he was planning on proposing to her as soon as we got back. He already had the ring. I tried hard not to be bitter. They had every right to be happy, especially after what had happened, but it was kind of hard not to be when there was a fist sized hole in my chest where my heart should be. I watched as they embraced each other and said their goodbyes, struggling hard not to begrudge them for being happy and in love while I was slowly dying inside.

The second they released each other Dee practically tackled me in a bear hug so tight, I thought I'd pass out any second from lack of air. I laughed quietly, the sound broken and off, even to my own ears. "I guess I can't stop you, huh? Well if you're really going to do this, we need to get one thing straight. You can't die. You won't die. And if something does happen to you, just know that I will find a way to bring you back to life just to kill you again for leaving us, got it?" Dee momentarily shifted her gaze to Archer's. "That goes for you too, mister." He smiled and nodded. "Noted." He murmured. "I love you." She whispered. My eyes began to fill with tears as I squeezed her. "Love you too. And don't worry about me. I'll be back. Can't miss the birth of my favorite niece, now can I?" I said, winking at Beth and Dawson. The both grinned, the first real smile I'd seen on either of them in months.

After Dee released my from her choke hold, they both hugged me and said their goodbyes. With that, Archer and I left the house and climbed into the black Hummer that waited outside my townhouse. "Took you long enough." Luc huffed. Ignoring the previous comment, I asked the obvious. "So, where are we headed first." Luc pulled out a tablet and began scrolling through it. "Well according to my sources, Nancy was last seen at the old military base in Texas, but has been making plans to move to an underground location right outside West Virginia with her cronies." My eyes bugged.

"Okay, first of all, why on earth would she go anywhere near West Virginia after what happened and are you telling me that there are still people willing to take orders from her?!" This time it was Archer who answered me. "Of course, Kat. She may be crazy, but she was still pretty high up in the government. It makes sense that a lot of people would still be loyal to her. And who knows why she's there. She's crazy, remember?" I rolled my eyes.

"Alright kids," Luc said in a sing-song voice. "Let's get this show on the road. Next stop, West Virginia." I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about going back there. It held so many memories, it was where this had all started. I wasn't sure I could handle being back there, but I knew I had to get over it, because I would have my revenge, one way or another.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Author's note: yes, Hunter and Serena will be in the story and it's been I about a months since Katy woke up.

Now:

Daemon's pov:

I was abruptly awoken from my nap when one of Nancy's stooges roughly yanked the burlap sack from off my head. I gave a low growl, the sound more animal than human. The douche slowly backed away, eyes wide and hands up. I smirked to myself. I heaved myself out of my seat, which was easier said than done considering my hands were still cuffed behind my back, and made my out of the helicopter.

Like my time spent in Daedalus, my sense of time was messed up, but I was pretty sure it had been at least two or three months since shit had hit the fan with Nancy. I knew Nancy had gone to great lengths to keep our location a secret from me, hence the blindfold and cuffs, but one look at my surroundings and I knew where we were. Christ, how could I forget? With nothing but wilderness for miles around I knew we had to be in West Virginia. I was even more surprised when we made the hike up the road and I found myself in front of the one and only Mount Weather. And from what it looked like, the place was totally deserted.

"Really, Daemon, you needn't look so shocked. Did you really think that the government would continue to provide the funds necessary to keep Mount Weather up and running once they'd caught wind of what's been going on here?" Nancy hadn't said much on the hike up here and for that I was extremely grateful, until now, of course. "Lucky for us, this place has been empty for a few months and I highly doubt it will be used anytime soon."

Yeah. We were just so damn lucky. "Well, now that we're here, we can get started. I've already arranged for all the material we need to be shipped here. They should be here shortly. Until then, we should have all the material we need to get us by." Ok, hold up."What do you mean by 'materials'?" I asked, struggling to grasp a patience I really didn't have. Nancy gave me a cold smile."Well I guess it's time to explain what exactly I have in store for you and Kat. I-" Wait . She could not have just said what I thought she did. "What has Kat got to do with any of this? I've done what you've asked and without any trouble. She stays out of this." The cold smile returned. "Ah, Daemon, but that's where you're wrong. I promised I wouldn't harm her, but seeing as she is one of the key elements in getting my plans carried out, I will need twenty four hour access to her, but do not fret, you are free to spend as much time with her as you like. As long as you both remain compliant, she will be allowed to go home. As for you, once I get what I need from the both of you, I really will have no particular use for you, but you have proved to be quite entertaining, so I think I'll keep you around."

I fought the urge to howl in frustration. This was Daedalus all over again. And next, in a deathly calm voice, I asked the question I wasn't really sure I wanted an answer to. "What exactly do you want from me and Kat?" She gave a long suffering sigh. "Oh, it's really quite simple. It's what I've always wanted. You see, you are one of the most powerful Luxen we have ever encountered and Katy has skills that go far beyond that of a normal hybrid. Can you imagine how powerful the child of this union would be? He would be invincible."

As realization began to dawn on me, so did d the disgust and the rage. Nancy wanted...our baby? God, for the first time in my life, I was going to be sick. How did she plan to pull that off anyway? It wasn't like she could force us to have sex. I voiced this very question. She gave a slightly hysterical giggle. "Well I'd hoped you'd be willing, but I knew I couldn't count on it. We'd originally planned to do in vitro, but... It appears that will no longer be necessary."

That didn't sound good. "Why not?" I growled. Nancy didn't falter, but I didn't miss the flicker of fear in her eyes or the way she took a cautious step back. When she answered me her voice was flat and she was direct and to the point. "Because she's already pregnant. The doctor who assisted her in her recovery owed me a few favors so I asked him to keep an eye on her. Roughly two months ago, he called her in for a checkup to see how she was healing, which also involved a urine sample. It's was then he discovered she was around 2-3 months pregnant. We decided it was best if she didn't know for now. But she will soon."

To be honest, I was barely listening to her. I was still stuck on the first thing she'd said. She was already pregnant. How was this even possible? Kat and I were alway careful, especially after what went down with Dawson and Beth. And the last time I could remember being...intimate with Kat, I specifically remembered us using protection. But then again, condoms weren't always 100% effective... Oh shit. Under different circumstances, I might have been happy, overjoyed even, upon hearing the news that Kat was having a baby, my baby, but now, all I felt was dread. This wasn't going to end well, no way in hell.

"Kat's already here, by the way. Their performing a standard physical on her right now. You should be able to see her soon." That cut through my shock induced haze pretty quickly. "How did you even get her here?" I croaked out."Easy. She came to us. She's very smart, that girl. Her, along with Luc and Archer, had been following us for quite some time. Before I'd even been aware of it, actually. I suppose they'd fancied themselves some kind of revenge." Reluctant respect shown through her eyes at that moment. "They may have even pulled it off if Rufus hadn't spotted them." She said leaning over to pat him on the chest like he was a good boy. I was so going to kill that guy one day.

"Unfortunately, Luc and archer have managed to escape, but they are not of consequence at the moment." A niggle of hope rose in me then. If Archer and Luc escaped than we still had a chance, but until then I was going to try like hell to get Kat out of here. Something occurred to me then. "All you want is the...baby, right? You don't care about me and Kat." She shrugged. "And once you get it, you'll release us?" I asked. "I'll release Kat." She said, pointedly.

It may have made me sound like a cold hearted bastard, but I was incredibly relieved to hear her say that. She could have the baby for all I cared, just as long as Kat and my family were safe. Of course I knew that these were just words and I had no real guarantee she would keep her word, but this was all I had to go on and despite all the shit that had just been dumped on me, there was a small sliver of happiness inside me.

Kat was here, and after 3 months, I was finally going to see her. Things were rough right now, but we'd seen worse and now that we were together we would find way out if this. I was sure of it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Now: Katy's POV

We were so close. I still couldn't believe I'd been captured. But thankfully, Archer and Luc had escaped and there was no doubt in my mind that they would come back for me. I itched to break out of this place myself, but I knew that I couldn't risk being injured. I had my baby to think about now. Less than 3 hours ago, Nancy strolled into the room after my physical in order to inform me of the impossible. I was pregnant.

At first I laughed in her face. Not until she practically forced into taking a pregnancy test, did I believe her. It was positive. There were so many different emotions warring inside of me right then. At first I was glad. This meant that Daemon wasn't truly gone. I would always have a piece of him with me, in the form of our child, But a sinking sense of dread followed soon after when I realized that Nancy had no intention of letting me keep this baby. She'd even told me so. I was nothing but a surrogate to her, and as soon as this baby was born, she planned on carting it off to god knows where, never to be seen again.

I still had no idea how I felt about all this, but one thing I did know for sure was there was no way in hell she was getting her hands on my baby. At this point I could only hope that Archer and Luc had some sort of plan to bust me out of here by now, because technically, they only had six more months to work on it. I leaned back against the bedpost in my cell, suddenly exhausted. I couldn't help the few few tears that slipped down my cheeks. God, I wished Daemon were here. Before I could do anything else, the door slid open. Immediately, I was on my feet, legs spread wide, ready for a fight. I let out a sharp gasp as soon as my intruder stepped into the light. Like a mirage, Daemon appeared as beautiful as ever.

I felt like I was going to pass out. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. Daemon was dead. I spent months mourning for him. We all did. This had to be some kind of cruel joke. Uncertainty marred his stunningly beautiful features. "Kitten...?" He whispered, his voice low and rough as if he were near tears. I couldn't move. In three long strides he was right in front of me. His arms swept around my waist and his face buried in my hair. I snapped out of it. I threw my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. "How...?" I cried into his shoulder. "I was never gone, Kitten. It was all a lie. But it's going to be ok. I'm going to get us out of here, Kat."

He gently thumbed the tears away. "All we need to do is give her the baby. Then we can find a way out of here. By then, she'll have what she wanted. She won't come looking for us." Upon hearing his words, I pulled back from his embrace, eyebrows furrowed. "Wait,... You want to give her the baby...?" He looked confused for a moment. "kitten, it's just a baby. You're not actually planning to keep it... Are you?"

I felt anger and hurt rise up in me at the question. He didn't want our baby. "Ok, first of all, it's not just a baby, it's our baby. And second of all, it's something we created out of love for each other. How can I not want that? How can you not want that?" At this point, tears were running freely down my cheeks. He looked even more baffled. "Kat, we can always have another baby. And since when do you want a kid? I thought we talked about this. We weren't going to have for years down the road."

He couldn't mean what he was saying, he just couldn't. Maybe it just hadn't hit him yet. Maybe he just needed convincing. "Daemon, I know the situation isn't ideal, but we can work this out. We're together now. We'll find a way out of this that includes the baby. We can do this. I-" My encouragements were immediately cut off when I saw the look on his face.

"Are you kidding? Do you know what a risk this that is? Ok, say, somehow, we do manage to pull this off. We're out of Nancy's clutches and we have the baby. What then? We can't ever go home. She would find us. She would chase us to the ends of the earth to get her hands on this baby. And not only are you putting yourself at risk, but my siblings and Beth. And their baby. God, Kat, how selfish can you be? And all this over a baby that isn't even born yet." After this he looked out of breath and half blind with rage. I had to fight the instinctual urge to back away from him.

"So that's it then?" I asked, growing angrier by the second. "You just expect me to walk away from my child? As if it never existed?" I practically shouted the last part. He didn't reply. Finally he said "So what's it gonna be Kat? Your family or this baby?" He asked in an icy voice that sent chills down my spine. The last time he talked to me that way was when we'd had an argument after he caught me having dinner with Blake. "Our baby is my family, too." I whispered, pleading with him to understand.

"No," he said after an eternity of silence. "Your baby. You've clearly made your choice and I don't want anything to do with it. You're my wife Kat, and I love you. I always will. And when you're ready to stop this insanity, I'll be waiting. Until then, I'll help you escape with Archer and Luc, but afterwards I want you to keep that baby as far away from me and our family as possible, understand?" He'd said all of this in a painfully monotone voice, as if the words he spoke meant nothing to him, even though I could tell he was dead serious.

Unsure of what he expected me to do, I simply nodded with big fat tears trailing down my cheeks. I loved Daemon and my family more than anything, but I loved this baby too, I began to realize. I'd known about its existence for less than a day and I already knew that I'd be willing to do anything for the life inside me, but that still didn't lessen the hurt that began to fester inside of me.

When I opened my eyes, Daemon was already walking towards the door. "Where... Where are you going?" I asked. I may have been pissed, and hurt, and whole crapload of other emotions I couldn't recognize at the moment, but I had gone 3 whole months thinking Daemon was dead. I wasn't ready to be separated again. "Back to my room." He replied, his back to me. "You're not going to stay with me?" I hated how needy I sounded.

He let out a deep, slow breath. When he spoke his voice was clipped, "I just... I can't right now, Kat." This brought a fresh round of tears that he couldn't see as he walked away from me.

...…...

I bit back a shriek as soon as I opened my eyes. Nancy and her bodyguards surrounded my bed, all of them staring at me as if they'd been standing there all morning waiting for me to wake up. Before I could get too creeped out, I noticed Daemon leaning against the wall farthest from my bed.

He was the only one who didn't look at me. Before I could say something, Nancy's chirper but steel tainted voice echoed through the small room. Nancy went over today's agenda, which consisted of breakfast, a series of tests which Daemon and I were both mandated to participate in, and finally an ultrasound to see how everything was progressing in the pregnancy. While this wasn't at all how I imagined having my first child with Daemon would be like and the creepy smile and weird sheen that gathered in Nancy's eyes as she talked about my baby as if it were her own, I still felt a smidgen of excitement rise up in me.

I was going to see my baby today. And, yeah, there was a small part of me that still hoped that maybe once Daemon saw the baby, he would change his mind. But I didn't count on it. Even after Nancy finished her little announcements, Daemon still wouldn't look at me. Breakfast was uneventful and awkward with Nancy doing most of the talking, me trying and failing to covertly stare at Daemon till he Finally looked up, and Daemon ignoring the both of us.

The tests weren't that bad either. Other than some uncomfortable pokes and prods, it wasn't painful or anything. I still had no idea what day or time it was, but I guessed it had to be pretty late, because by the time the ultrasound rolled around I was incredibly tired. I was surprised to find that the doctor was a women. She looked to be about forty, with waist length blond hair that curled slightly towards the bottom. I was even more shocked when I noticed her eyes. They were wide and friendly, compassionate even. Now what was a woman like that doing working for Nancy Husher.

"Can you sit back, please and lift up your shirt?" She said as she gestured toward the examining table. Thankfully, Nancy wasn't hear. Apparently, someone, somewhere, has screwed up, or at least that's what she muttered to the doctor before hurrying out of the room, but not before placing her hand absentmindedly on my stomach and muttering a few reassurances under her breath. Towards herself, towards the baby, who knew?

This gesture did not go unnoticed by Daemon, whose face had tightened alarmingly, But before I could knock her hand off or before Daemon could break it off, she removed it and hurried from the room. Before I could obsess about that and freak myself out, the doctor squirted some type of blue substance on to my stomach. The gel was surprisingly cold which caused me to let out a hiss.

Daemon was by my side in an instant. The doctor gave us a bashful smile. "I'm sorry, I probably should have warned you that I'd be a bit cold." Daemon muttered under his breath and I simply nodded. Flushing, she grabbed the Doppler stick and pressed it firmly against my stomach, where a small bump had begun to form. At first the screen remained blurry, but after a few moments an image appeared. Daemons sharp intake of breath overshadowed my own. He... He was perfect.

While adjusting the stick every so often, the doctor told us that by this point, the baby had already developed fingernails and was just now starting to develop vocal cords. Like a sponge, I soaked up all the information she gave us, while Daemon continued to stare at the screen in amazement. The doctor had said it was a bit too early to determine the sex and that would have to wait until next week.

Sighing, I wiped the gel of my stomach and pulled my shirt down. As I stood up, I looked at the guard Nancy had left in charge. "So what happens now?" I asked. "Well, according to Nancy, I take you guys back to your rooms. Slowly, we followed him out, keeping a respectable distance between each other. When we finally came to a standstill outside my door, Daemon stiffened.

"I want to stay with her." My heart may have stopped for a second. "I've been given explicit orders to-" "Did Nancy specifically prohibit this?" The guard looked uncertain." Well, no, but-" "Then why are you still here?" The guard's jaw clamped shut and with a huff he strode away. I sighed. "Look, Daemon, I'm tired. I really don't want to argue-" he slipped his arms around my waist. "That's actually what I wanted to to talk to you about. I was a dick last night. There was no excuse for the way I treated. I still don't agree with the decision you're making and I stand by what I said, but I don't want to fight anymore. Can we just.. Can we just sleep?" My throat burned. He was sorry for the way he treated me, but he'd meant what he said. Still, though. This was progress.

"Ok," I said. "I'm ready to stop fighting if you are. Let's go to sleep." Without another word, we both climbed into bed. Sighing happily, I felt every muscle in my body relax at his touch. "I love you." He whispered. "Love you." I said back.

Finally on the verge of sleep, I felt his hand drift down to the hem of my shirt, gently tugging it up until my midriff was expose. Ever so gently, he trailed his fingers across the slight bump that was beginning to form. He let out a shaky breath. He's coming around, I thought sleepily, before I drifted off into oblivion.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Katy's POV:

We'd been here for two months now. As of today, I was 5 months along. I was growing more and more anxious as the days passed. Where were Luc and Archer? I hoped they got us out of here soon, because the last thing I wanted to do was give birth to my baby in this hellhole.

Taking a deep, calming, breath, I ran a hand down my bump absentmindedly. I was a lot bigger now. I Knew Daemon worried about me. Christ, he looked at me as if the extra weight resting in my midsection would topple me over any second. Other than that, Daemon and I didn't really talk about the baby.

He went with me to the ultrasounds, rubbed my back, and even held my hair back when I got sick. He did everything he was supposed to do and yet, he did so without any emotion. It was like he had already decided that there was no chance we could have this baby and he didn't want to get attached. But I knew, I knew differently. Every time we went to an ultrasound, every time he heard the baby's heartbeat, he would get this awed look on his face like he couldn't believe what was happening. It was times like those that gave me hope.

Before I could finish my thoughts, Nancy and her goons were already waiting outside to take me to my next ultrasound. Dammit. For the most part, it was always one of her guards that escorted me to the medical wing. That was how I knew she wouldn't be at the ultrasound that week. Much to her dismay and my utter happiness, she had missed many of them. I hated when she came.

When she wasn't there, the doctor was loose and friendly, always answering any questions I had. When Nancy was around, she was quiet and astute and didn't speak unless spoken to. When I opened the door I was face to face with a very impatient looking Nancy, but as soon as she saw me or my bump rather, her lips parted in a genuine smile. She lifted her arm suddenly, and trailed her fingers over my belly. Something she had taken to doing when Daemon wasn't around. I jerked back, but she caught me by the wrist, no longer smiling. "You forget your place, hybrid. This is my baby. You are no more than a surrogate. You are not this baby's mother." In that moment I wanted nothing more than to tell her off, but I knew she would just punish me by taking her anger out on my family or Daemon.

So I stood there, jaw wired shut and hands clenched at my side, as she put her hands on either side of my belly and placed a soft kiss just above my navel. I felt like I was going to be sick. The guards just looked plain uncomfortable. Nancy straightened and cleared her throat. "Well, we best be going. Don't want to be late." She muttered.

...

Once we'd gotten to the medical wing, things went according to schedule. Daemon was by my side like always, as stoic as ever. Nancy stood on my other side, her eyes wide and eager as that of a child. The doctor checked my blood pressure, weight, vitals..etc. "Alright," the doctor said."everything looks good. Your baby is strong and healthy. The only thing that concerns me is the growth and development."

Concern rose in me. "I thought you said he was healthy. What's wrong?" I asked, suddenly panicking and wrapping my arms around my midsection. It didn't help when Nancy began pacing the length of the small examination room, wearing a troubled expression. Daemon remained silent, but wrapped an arm around my shoulders. The doctor gave us a strained smile. "He's doing well, he's just a bit big, that's all. I realize that you don't have any experience with pregnancy, Kat, but I have treated quite a few pregnant women in my time and they are usually about seven months pregnant before they get to be your size."

My brows furrowed and though Daemon didn't say anything, I knew he was worried and listening intently to what she had to say next. Before I could ask anymore questions Nancy's shrill voice cut me off."Will the baby be ok?" I fought the overpowering urge to snap at her. It wasn't her place to be concerned. It wasn't her baby. The doctor sighed. "They both should be as long as we monitor her closely. Odds are she'll go into labor early, which won't be a problem. We have all the the necessary tools needed to deliver this baby. Everything should go according to plan."

Next to me, Daemon let out a breath I didn't know he'd been holding. While the doc and Nancy finished speaking about some things, a soldier led us back to our room.

Once there, both Daemon and and I stripped down for bed. Standing up straight, I stretched and bit back a groan as an ache pierced my lower back. Sighing, I moved towards the bed when I felt a strong thump against my side. At first I was confused. I gasped and my hands dropped to my stomach when I felt it again. Daemon was by my side immediately. "Shit, Kat? Are you okay?" He asked. I took a breath.

Then I grinned when realization dawned on me. I gave a breathless laugh. "I think...I think he's kicking." Daemon stopped breathing. "No way." He whispered. Without thinking, I grabbed one of his hands and pressed it against my stomach. We waited for a minute. Then, out of nowhere, the baby gave a sharp kick right where Daemon's palm was. Daemon's eyes widened.

Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, so he was face to face with my stomach. He placed his hands on either side of my belly. I stayed completely still. Ever so gently, he placed a kiss above my navel just as Nancy had, except It didn't feel weird or creepy, it just felt natural. My eyes began to fill with tears. The baby kicked again, right against his daddy's mouth. "He knows who you are." I whispered through my tears. His face broke into a breathtakingly beautiful smile. "This is amazing..." He said softly. Suddenly his smile fell. "Does it hurt?" He asked contritely. I was about to shake my head when I felt a strong kick in my ribs that made me grimace.

Face tense, he pressed his palm to the spot where the baby had kicked. He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kat. I'm so damn sorry. I've left you alone in this. The way I've been acting these last couple months... I... Want to be apart of this baby's life. Forget everything I said. I love you and I love our baby. I want to be there for both of you... If you'll let me."

Daemon stood up and led me to the bed, helping me to get comfortable, while he kneeled by my lap. Sighing, I said "of course I forgive you. We need you and I want you in our lives. I'm still angry, but I can get past it. I'm so glad you love this baby, too." He sighed. "Kat, I've always loved this baby. From the first moment I saw him on the ultrasound screen, I loved him. And before you start, I know I had a bad way of showing it, but kitten I was so afraid. I had already convinced myself that it would be better if we gave him up, I guess I was just afraid of losing him so I thought it would be better if I didn't get attached. But I realize how wrong that was and ,kitten, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you. Both of you."

He said placing one hand on my stomach while using the other to brush away my tears. At loss for words, I just stared at him. "I love you." I whispered. "I love you, too" he replied. The baby kicked under his palm." Daemon chuckled. "I love you, too, buddy." Suddenly, Daemon was on his feet. Before I could asks what was wrong, the door flew open.

Standing in front of us was Archer, Dee, and Luc. They all wore identical expressions of shock. Except, they weren't looking at us. All eyes were trained on my stomach. I gave a weak grin. "Surprise..." I mumbled. Luc was the first to snap out of it. "Well," he drawled. "It looks like you guys have been busy..."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Author note: Hey guys, just wanted to give you a heads up that for the duration of Katy's pregnancy I'll probably be writing in her POV. I don't plan to completely stop writing in Daemon's POV, but for the remainder of Katy's pregnancy, I probably won't.

...

Now:

Katy's POV:

Once they had all snapped out of their shock induced hazes, Dee immediately threw herself at her brother, while Archer continued to stare at Daemon as if a mirage had just appeared in front of him. Luc just grinned.

Slowly, he walked over to Daemon and clasped him by the shoulder. "It's good to have you back, man. We came here as soon as we could to get Katy, but then we heard Nancy had you, and..." He seemed to have run out of words by that point. Dee lifted her tear streaked face from Daemon's shoulder. "We went to the Luxen community that stored your ashes and they said they had no record of you. That's when we knew. Oh, God, Daemon, we missed you so much." Daemon continued to stroke her back and cooed to her quietly. "It's ok, Dee. I'm safe now and I'll never let anything happen to you."

Dee pulled back and smiled, then suddenly launched herself at me. I gave a sharp breath of surprise and the baby kicked in response. Daemon stepped forward. "Gently, Dee, gently." He admonished. She snorted. "Relax, Daemon. I won't break her. Speaking of which, anyone care to explain how...this happened?" She said, gesturing toward my distended belly.

I flushed. Before I could say anything, Luc's voice intruded on our reunion. "As much as I'd love to hear that story, Hunter and Serena are waiting for us in the chopper out front and we don't have a lot of time. As soon as they heard about our little predicament they offered to help in any way they could. You guys have some loyal friends. Nancy's going to figure out we're here, if she hasn't already. We need to go."

Daemon and I nodded and with that, followed them out of the room and down the long, drafty halls to the outside gate, where the chopper was. By this point I was out of breath and my back and feet were aching something fierce. The baby's constant tossing and turning inside me weren't much help either. "Are you sure you don't want me to carry you? The doctor said you were at risk for premature labor and specifically advised against any strenuous activities." He said, worriedly.

I pulled in a deep steady breath. "Yes, I'm sure. Besides, the chopper is right there. I'm fine." Daemon nodded, but I could tell he wasn't entirely convinced. Once we got to the chopper, Hunter and Serena stepped out. Both their eyes widened upon seeing Daemon and even more so when their gazes fell on my stomach, but they said nothing. Serena was still staring at my stomach by the time we'd all stepped into the chopper.

As her eyes made the slow perusal up to my face, some fierce emotion I couldn't name, burned in her eyes. I got the feeling that seeing my face did not bring the warm fuzzies, which was ridiculous, because I could not remember a time where I had been anything but kind to this woman and vice versa. Thankfully, Dee sat beside me and was able to distract me. "God, Katy, I've missed you so much, It's been so long since I've had anyone to talk to."

I laughed. "What about Archer?" I asked. She snorted. "You know what I mean. It's been so long since I've had a girl talk, you know?" Yeah, I knew. "Beth?" She sighed. "I know, but she isn't really all that talkative and ever since she had the baby, her and Dawson have been really busy..." My heart went out to Dee. I knew she had been lonely and I felt so guilty for leaving her to deal with all that by herself.

Then I remembered something. "Wait, Beth had the baby? How did that go?" I asked. Dees face suddenly brightened. "Well, to be honest, it was kinda scary at first. She was in a lot of pain at the beginning. You should have seen Dawson. He was freaking out. At one point I thought he was going to pass out. Things got better after Beth got the epidural. The baby was breech so they had to do a C section, but the baby was okay. She's beautiful, Kat."

My eyes widened. "She?" I repeated incredulously. Dee smiled. "I know. We were shocked too, but apparently it's possible. The first female origin. And guess what they named her? Ashley." I gave a startled laugh and the baby kicked me sharply in the ribs. For some reason he had a habit of doing do whenever I was shocked. "That's perfect..." I whispered. Dee grinned. "I know." As the hours went by Dee and I continued to catch up until I began to feel tired. Dee must have noticed, because she eventually drew Archer into the conversation until it was just the two of them talking.

For some reason, the baby was restless which made it impossible to get some sleep or to even sit comfortably. I twisted and turned in awkward positions while on my other side, Daemon watched amusedly as I tried to get comfortable. Around my fourth attempt, he chuckled deeply. "Need some help?" I rolled my eyes. "This is your fault, you know." He laughed outright. "How do you figure?" I sighed. "This baby cannot keep still for five minutes, something he got from you.

I groaned as I received a particularly forceful kick right in the kidney. Daemon placed a hand on the peak of my belly. The kicking calmed some and I sighed. He smiled. "Better?" I nodded. "Is what better?" Dee asked out of nowhere. A wide grin broke out across her face as soon as she saw where Daemon's hand rested. " Is the baby kicking? He's kicking isn't he? I wanna feel, I wanna feel!" Knocking Daemon's hands off impatiently, which caused him to frown, she quickly replaced them with her own. Her eyes immediately filled with wonder.

A small smile then played on her lips. "Hi, baby." Dee spoke in a low soothing tone that I'd never heard her use before. "I'm your aunt Dee and I love you so much already. I can't wait to meet you. I'm going to spoil you rotten." Both Daemon and Archer laughed at that. Suddenly Archers face became curious. "So... How did this little guy," he jerked his chin at my stomach." come into being, anyway,"

And thus, we explained the whole thing. How I had already been pregnant and Nancy's crazy plan to use our baby as some sort of ultimate weapon. Both Archer and Hunter looked disgusted, while Dee just looked plain old pissed off. This baby was going to have one seriously protective aunty looking out for him. The thought made me smile. Daemon and I hadn't really gone into detail about the beginning and how Daemon had wanted nothing to do with our child, and I think we both had a nonverbal agreement that that would remain between us.

After that, we discussed what we would do next. We all agreed that we had to go back to Colorado first to get Dawson, Beth, and their baby, but we couldn't stay. That was the first place Nancy would look. According to Luc, he had already gotten the government involved and they were currently searching for Nancy, but until she was found, they were apparently going to stash us away at some secret, guarded, location.

It all sounded pretty sketchy, but we trusted Luc and we really didn't have much of a choice. Once some of the tension had been defused, everyone took turns feeling the baby kick, even the guys. Luc seemed just as fascinated Dee, Archer wore a slightly freaked out expression and Hunter... He just looked sad for reasons I couldn't understand, but I'd bet it had something to do with the reason Serena was glaring at me. While Daemon was in deep conversation with Archer, I took the chance to talk to Dee alone. "What's her problem?" I demanded as soon as she sat down.

Dee sighed. "Look, I know she's being kind of bitch right now, but you need to cut her some slack, she's been through a lot." I was so confused. "What do you mean?". Dee's eyes filled with sympathy. "I only found out, because Hunter told Archer and Archer told me, but apparently they've been trying for months to have a baby. They've seen every specialist there is and received countless treatments, but the problem isn't Hunter.

It's Serena. She just isn't fertile. But by some miracle, she did get pregnant. She was about six months along when she went into early labor and delivered. The baby didn't make it. Katy, that was probably their last chance of having a child of their own. And then you turn up, so obviously pregnant, I mean, I'm not saying the way she's treating you is okay, but can you see where she's coming from?" I could, actually, but I still didn't think it have her the right to act like a bitch.

The look on my face must have said exactly that, because Dee cracked a smile. "Don't worry, she'll get over it and you guys will be friends again and all will be right in the world." I just nodded. A few hours later, the baby seemed to have tired himself out, because he didn't kick as much as before. Daemon wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I carefully, so as not to jostle the baby awake, shifted onto my side and laid my head in his lap. Some time later we both began to drift off into the first real sleep either of us had had in months.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Katy's POV:

Daemon gently shook me awake as soon as we reached Colorado. It's was about four in the morning when we landed and I was still exhausted. Daemon must have known because instead of ushering me to my feet, he simply picked me up bridal style and carried me out of the chopper and into Dawson and Beth's house.

As soon as we reached the front steps the door was thrown open and Dawson came sprinting out and immediately threw his arms around Daemon, mindful of me and the fact that I was now sandwiched between the brothers. As soon as he released us, his arms were replaced by Beth's.

She place a kiss on Daemon's cheek and one on my forehead . "We're so glad you're both ok." She said quietly. She stepped back and grinned at Dawson. "There's someone we'd like you to meet. Now this got my attention. I tugged on Daemons arm, so he would put me down. He did so gently. Now that my stomach was no longer hidden against Daemon, Dawson's eyes widened, while Beth let out a gasp. I sighed. Here we go again, I thought. "Yes, I'm pregnant. I'm about six months along. I promise we will explain everything once we get inside."

They both just stood there for a minute before stepping into the house and we all followed. Dawson and Beth led us to the living room where we all sat down. Daemon must have sensed how self conscious I was about my bump because when we sat down, he tucked me into his side and wrapped an arm around my waist, leaning forward a bit so everyone could see my face but my bump was hidden.

It was then that Daemon launched into quick explanation about what had happened. They pretty much reacted the same way the others had. Dawson looked ready to kill someone and Beth looked pale. "That's...that's revolting." She whispered in a shaky voice. "We can't stay here obviously, but Luc already has a place set up. We just came here to pick you guys up. We need to get moving. So grab...Ashley, and all the things she needs, and meet us out front."

Dawson nodded at his brother and turned to Beth. "I'll grab the stuff, you get Ash, okay?" She nodded and he kissed her on the forehead, then they both headed up stairs. The whole room let out a collective breath. After a few moments, Beth and Dawson came downstairs with a small baby girl attached to Beth's hip. The little girl was beautiful. She couldn't be more than a few months old, but her amethyst eyes were bright and focused.

Dee immediately went for the baby's cheeks. We all laughed. Serena and Hunter quietly slipped out of the room. As soon as everyone finished passing Ashley around, Beth took her upstairs for a nap, while Dawson packed. Daemon sighed and looked at me. "Hey, you didn't sleep for very long on the chopper and it might take them some time to pack sure you don't want to rest for a while before we go?"

God knows, I wanted to, but sleep wasn't an option now that the baby was awake and kicking. "No, I think I'll just walk around. Stretch my legs." I swayed a little as I began to stand. It didn't escape Daemons notice. He grasped my elbows to steady me. "Kat, how long has it been since you've eaten?" He asked, concerned. To be honest, I couldn't even remember. "I'm not sure."

Beth popped her head in. "Feel free to take anything from the fridge or pantry." She said tossing me a warm smile, before disappearing around the corner. While the others continued to talk, Daemon tugged me towards the kitchen, where Serena and Hunter happened to be grabbing some food. Oh joy. "What are you, doing here?" Serena asked, with a hint if steel in her voice. Daemon answered for me, oblivious to the edge in her voice. "She was feeling a bit light headed, we were going to get her something to eat."

Her eyes lightened with concern, bringing back a glimpse of the Serena I knew. "Are you okay, Katy?" I gave her a small smile, which wasn't returned. My heart deflated. "Yeah, I just haven't eaten in a while..." The coldness returned to her eyes. "You're six months pregnant, Katy. You need to take care of your yourself, so your body can take care of your baby. Are you trying to put your baby at risk?" Daemon pushed me behind him. "Serena," he warned. He looked minutes away from physically removing her from the kitchen.

Hunter must have sensed it because he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Enough, Serena. I know you're hurting, but-" "No," she interrupted "she needs to understand what a gift she's been given and needs to learn not to be so careless about the welfare of her baby!" My blood boiled and the room began to spin. "I am not care less about the welfare of my baby. I love him, and I understand what a miracle he is, and I'm not trying to put him at risk! A lot has been going on right now and I'm doing the best I can. Look, I'm sorry you and Hunter lost your baby. It's a terrible thing to lose a child, but I won't just stand here and let you-" I felt a stinging pain on the side of my face. It took me a moment to realize she had slapped me. Serena had slapped me.

"Don't talk about my baby!" She hissed. I could tell she wanted to hit me again, but Hunter restrained her. Daemon looked furious. Daemon didn't hit girls, but in this case, I knew he wanted to. That was enough for Hunter to step in front of her. He settled for glaring at her. Then he looked at Hunter. "I know you're both grieving, and I'm truly sorry for your loss, but you better control your girl, because if she lays a hand on my wife again, I won't hold her out of my sight."

Jaw tense, Hunter nodded stiffly and steered Serena out of the room. Once they were gone, Daemon took one look at the side of my face, where I had a feeling a wicked looking bruise was beginning to form, and clenched his jaw. "I'm going to kill her." He muttered. "It's not her fault, Daemon." He looked at me incredulously. "You can't seriously be defending her right now, kitten" I squeezed my eyes shut."She just lost her child, Daemon. What if that were us? Not saying that what she did was right, but I wouldn't exactly be thrilled either if I were her."

Daemon said nothing. Instead, he headed to the fridge and rummaged around for a few minutes before closing it and producing an orange in his hands. My stomach rolled. I was too upset to eat. "Daemon, I'm not hungry." He pinned me with a look. "I know, but if you don't eat, the baby doesn't eat, so can you please just finish this orange, and give me some peace of mind?" He pleaded. I nodded and he began to peel it. By the time I was finished and Dawson and Beth were done packing, it was nearly noon.

I was so not looking forward to another uncomfortable helicopter ride, especially with Serena and Hunter. The baby was as energetic as ever, but it didn't really bother me. However, I did feel this weird cramp in my stomach. It didn't exactly hurt, but it was uncomfortable and I did my best to ignore it. There was no need to give Daemon a heart attack. As we got further into the flight, the cramps only got more intense, to the point where they were throbbing pains. I tried to keep calm and continued to breathe through my nose.

Every five minutes or so the cramps would stop, but each one grew more painful than the next. I thought about telling Daemon, but he was passed out next to me and I didn't want to wake him if it turned out to be nothing. I decided that maybe all I needed to do was was get something to drink, that maybe I was dehydrated and that's what was causing the cramps. Getting to a standing position took a ridiculously long amount of time, but once on my feet, I headed for the back, where drinks were kept.

Grabbing a water bottle and opening it, I took a swig. Serena walked into the back. I bit back a groan. "Look, Serena, I-" before I could finish my sentence, I doubled over in agony as my belly contracted painfully. No, no, I couldn't be having contractions. It was way too early. Serena was at my side in an instant. "Are you ok?" She asked panickedly. The muscles in my stomach tensed painfully. Before I knew it, I was on my knees. "Daemon!" I cried out. He was kneeling beside me instantly, while the others filed in behind him to see what was the matter. At some point, Serena had been replaced by Dee. "Kitten," came

Daemons frantic voice in my ears. "What's wrong? Tell me where it hurts." I took a deep breath. "My stomach." I gasped out in between pains. "Is she in labor?" Archer asked. "She can't be. It's way too early. It has to be Braxton hicks." Daemon responded.

Daemon sat down be side me and gently pulled me into his lap. "I need everyone to leave. I've got this." The look on Daemon's face must have said it all, because they all slowly retreated from the room casting worried and concerned looks toward us. Once we were alone, Daemon settled me in between his legs, my back resting against his chest and his hands resting on my belly.

He continued to reassure me in low soothing tones, while rubbing idle circles on my stomach with his thumbs, until the contractions began to subside. Once the worst of them were over, I slumped against him. He placed a kiss on my sweaty forehead. "Can you stand?" He asked. Before I even answered the question he had already scooped me up into his arms and was carrying me back to our seats.

I could tell Dee wanted to ask if I was alright, but Archer was holding her back and whispering quietly to her. Instead of placing me in my own seat, Daemon kept me in his lap, one arm supporting my back, while the other lay protectively cupping my stomach. I knew he was worried. Not just for me, but for the baby too. He didn't want anything to happen to us. The baby kicked underneath Daemon's palm and he let out a sharp breath. He began rubbing slow soothing circles on my stomach.

"Hey, buddy. You gave us a scare back there. I know you're anxious to meet us, but you need to hang in there for just a few more months, okay?" There was another, stronger, thump that followed, that made Daemon laugh and me wince. We made plans to see a doctor as soon as we got to the base. It was another two hours before we landed, but once everyone was off the helicopter and on the base, we met with General Eaton, first thing. Surprisingly, his face didn't register shock upon seeing me in my current...er, condition.

Someone had either told him about my pregnancy beforehand, or he was just really good at disguising his shock. He gave us a genuine smile. "I'm pleased to see that everyone got here safely. As I'm sure Luc's told you, you will be staying here for the next couple months until this whole Nancy crisis is resolved. Please feel free to make yourselves at home. We realize that you may need some privacy, so we have gone to certain lengths to give it to you.

There are separate cottages around the compound that each pair of you have been assigned. We also have a pediatrician on call for Ashley as well as an obstetrician for Miss Katy. For the time being, my soldiers will show you to your quarters, and Miss Katy? You have an appointment with the OB/gyn in an hour." With that, he walked away. The soldiers eventually led us to 5 distinct little cottages all in a cul-de-sac. One for Serena and Hunter, one for Dawson and Beth, One for Dee and Archer, and finally, one for Daemon and I. The last I assumed was for Luc and Nadia, who still had yet to arrive. Everyone quickly slipped inside there cottages to rest after a long day of traveling, while Daemon and I got ready for my appointment.

We didn't have to wait long in the infirmary before a nurse called us by last name and stuffed us into one of the many examination rooms. The nurse sat me down on the examination table and us the doctor would be in soon. Bored out of my mind while we waited, I glanced at Daemon. He seemed to be lost in deep thought. Every once in a while his gaze would turn confused or conflicted and he would place a hand on my stomach to feel the baby kick, as if the movement soothed him somehow. The doctored wasted no time once she arrived.

She looked young, maybe in her early to mid thirties. Once she finished the routine check up she took my pulse. "Okay. Everything looks good. Your baby has a strong heartbeat and is developing normally, but there are a few things I'm concerned about. One, the stress. Katy, I understand that you and your husband have a lot to be worried about at the moment. General Eaton has informed me on your current situation, but I need you to relax. Stress isn't good for you or your baby. On top of that, we got your blood work back, and it appears that you are anemic. This shouldn't be a problem as long as you eat regularly, but the main problem here is that you are at risk for premature delivery. I don't know if your old doctor told you this or not, but your baby appears to be developing at a rapid pace and is very large. Now, this is no reason to be alarmed, we have All the tools here to provide a safe birth, but every extra day in the womb helps the baby grow stronger. From what I hear, you were having some labor pains?"

I nodded. "That is not uncommon for women during this time of the pregnancy. But in order to keep this baby inside you as long as possible, you need to remain calm. Stress is a major contributor to Braxton hicks. Either way you will most likely be having them anyway, so don't bother coming in unless your water has broken. Are you hearing all this, dad?" She gave Daemon a stern look. "Make sure she doesn't have to deal with any stress." Daemon nodded seriously. I snorted. I thought they were both being ridiculous. The doctor sent us back to our cottage with some prenatal vitamins and some pamphlets.

Daemon hadn't spoken a single word on the walk back. We ate dinner in awkward silence. He didn't speak again until we were both in bed. His voice was serious. "I want you to stay away from Serena." My eyes widened. "Don't give me that look, Kat. She has done nothing but upset you since the moment you got back. I'm just trying to protect you and the baby. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you and the baby come out of this okay." I wanted to argue with him, but at the moment, I just didn't have it in me. "We'll talk more about this tomorrow." I sighed.

Something occurred to me then. "What are we going to call him? We keep calling him 'baby', but he needs a real name." Daemon thought about this for a second. Suddenly his eyes flared bright and I knew he'd just come up with the perfect name for our son. "Let's call him... Let's call him Adam."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Katy's POV:

It had been a few weeks since we'd gotten here and for the most part things were good. Hunter and Serena kept their distance and for that I was extremely grateful.

Everything in my pregnancy was progressing well according to Dr. Shields and I hadn't had anymore of those awful Braxton hicks contractions, but that's not what I was worried about. At around 4 in the morning general Eaton's soldiers had knocked on the door and told Daemon that he needed to report general Eaton immediately. Apparently, something had happened and he was needed. Same thing went for Dee and Dawson.

I was dead set on going with him, but he'd refused outright. He'd told me I needed to rest and that he would tell me everything that happened as soon as he got back. I let this passify me for now, but if he wasn't back by mid afternoon I was going after him.

It was around ten in the morning when Beth and I sat down in my cottage for breakfast. It was ridiculous really. We were both way too nervous to actually eat anything , but I guess we both just needed something to do. Beth clutched a sleeping Ashley to her chest whilst I paced around the room.

"What do you think is going on?" Beth asked, breaking the tense silence. I let out a breath. "I have no idea." Probably sensing that this wasn't a something I wanted to discuss, Beth changed the subject. "So how are you feeling? Dawson tells me the pregnancy's been rough."

I shrugged. "It's been better these last couple weeks. At least I'm not-" I felt a tingling in the back of my neck. I could tell Beth felt it too, because she leapt to her feet and was across the room in the blink of an eye. She threw open the door and gasped. "Beth? What's wrong?" She said nothing. I rushed to her side, err...waddled. As soon as I saw what she was staring at, my jaw went slack and I started to feel dizzy.

Just a few feet away from the porch stood the triplets with a man and woman I did not recognize. They were absolutely breathtaking. They had to be Luxen. The woman was gorgeous. She had curly blond hair that in the sun, glittered like freshly spun gold and the most beautiful green eyes that were currently glittering with tears. Eyes exactly like the triplet's.

She was tall and slender, with a body like a dancer. The man was just as alluring. He had straight dark hair with a set of dark eyes to match. He was also tall. About as tall as Daemon. His eyes also burned with fierce emotion. They looked to be in their mid forties. It was then that I noticed that Dee was sobbing and Dawson had tears running down his face.

Daemon was doing neither of these things, but he looked like he wanted too. The woman pulled Dee into a fierce hug. I hadn't realized Archer was there until he cleared his throat loudly. Both the male and female Luxen's eyes snapped in our direction, but they weren't looking at us. No, their eyes were trained on the little origin clinging to her mother's neck like a life line.

I wondered if I was the only one who noticed the hostility in their eyes. The way Archer's gaze hardened and Beth's arms tightened around Ash, told me I wasn't. As soon as their gazes left Beth and Ash, they landed on my stomach. I fought the urge to cross my arms. Oblivious to our little stare down, the triplets grinned in unison. Dawson was the first to speak.

"Mom, Dad, this is Beth. The one I was telling you about. She's my... We... I love her and this is Ash, our daughter." They smiled, but there was something about it that rang false. Beth still appeared to be in shock, because she had yet to say anything. I felt like puking. "Now wait a minute. Mom? Dad? Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?" I practically shouted. "I second that." Archer muttered numbly. Daemon's grin faltered and concern took its place.

He was at my side instantly. "Kitten.." He murmured placing a hand on my belly. A gentle reminder of why I needed to stay calm. I took a deep breath. The man and woman both wore identical expressions of disapproval as they watched the display. He turned to them and their disapproving expressions disappeared. My eyes widened. "Let's go inside and we can explain." He said.

The older man walked up to us and clapped him on the back. "That sounds like an excellent idea, son." He didn't once look in my direction. Once they were all seated in the living room, Dee spoke. "And this is Archer, he's my... I love him, too." she said gesturing towards him and smiling nervously. They gave the same plastic smile they'd used when Dawson had introduced Beth and Ash to them. Archer made no move to greet them.

Dee nudged him."Hey." He muttered. I fought the urge to snicker. All humor vanished from me when Daemon spoke. "This is Katy, my wife." Their eyes widened at the term. "You're married?" The woman croaked. "Yes." Daemon said cautiously. "Well," the man said, clearly uncomfortable."That's...lovely." Archer snorted. "I'm sure." Dee's eyes widened and she punched him on the arm. It wasn't a girly hit, either. "Ouch, dammit, that hurt."

He muttered, rubbing his arm. "And the baby...?" The woman asked. My eyes narrowed. Daemon cleared his throat. "The baby's mine." The pride in Daemon's voice almost made up for the crestfallen expression the woman wore, as if she any hope she'd harbored about the baby not being his had just been crushed. I had about enough. "Okay," I snapped."now that we've all gotten to know each other, can someone please tell us what's going on?"

I asked impatiently. Daemon sighed."These are our parents." No one in the room was surprised when Daemon confirmed what had already been suspected. He ran a hand through his already tousled waves. "General Eaton called us in this morning, because they had been found in one of the D.O.D's laboratories. They've been under the DOD's thumb all this time. As soon as they heard we were here they requested to meet with us as soon as possible." Dee was crying again and Dawson was smiling in a way I'd never seen before. I shook my head, unsure of what to make of the situation. Their parents were alive. This was everything they'd ever wanted. This was great news.

And yet, there was something unsettling about all this, but I wasn't sure what. Suddenly, I was so tired. Scrubbing my hand across my face, I nodded. Daemon placed a hand on top of mine. "I know this is a lot to take in. It was for us too, but it' be okay. I already filled them in on the situation with Nancy. They know why we're really here." I gave a weak smile. "What are your names?" I asked mainly out of politeness. " I am Dean." Daemons Father answered in a strained voice. "And I am Samantha. But you may call me Sam." She answered in the same fashion. Dean and Sam.

I giggled. Wrong move. Dean's eyes narrowed, whilst his wife glared. "Is something funny?" She snapped. Before I could reply, Daemon stepped. "She didn't mean anything by it, mom." My eyes widened. Mom? "I think you should apologize, Kat." I looked at Dee, my mouth dropping open in shock. Then I looked at Daemon, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. Archer stood. "Why? I thought it was funny." I shot Archer a grateful look, he was looking at Dee who was giving him a death glare. Dawson cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Beth and I need to put Ash down for a nap and I'm sure Daemon and Katy have things to do, so we need to get going, but I wanted to invade you guys over for dinner tonight." Looking at Dean and Sam, I saw genuine warmth light up their features. "We'd love to." His father replied. They embraced each of them fiercely before leaving, with Dawson, Beth, Dee, and Archer on their heels.

As soon as the door slammed shut, Daemon turned around and headed for the kitchen and I followed. He half sat, half collapsed, in one of the chair and placed his head in his hands. Sighing, I waddled over to him and slipped his arms around my waist. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against my stomach. "Hey, Adam." He whispered. "It's your daddy. Did you know that your grandparents are alive?" There was a strong thud. Daemon laughed quietly. "I know, pretty crazy, huh?"

I felt like crying. Daemon was obviously still in shock and I couldn't imagine what he must be feeling right now. He looked up at me from where he sat. "Have you eaten?" I shook my head. "Daemon, this can wait.." He continued to make me breakfast as if he hadn't heard me.

When he finished and I had eaten everything on my plate, he spoke. "Their different than I thought they'd be. More reserved. I guess I can understand that, though. They spent their whole lives at the mercy of humans and had their babies taken away from them almost as soon as they were born. I mean, can you imagine if someone tried to take Adam from us?" He asked, placing a hand on my bump, where our child resided.

No I couldn't. I realized right then that I needed to suck it up. No matter how much I disliked his parents, they were still important to him and I needed to support him and if that meant ignoring their jabs and dark looks, than that's what I would do. The baby kicked under Daemon's palm as if he agreed with me.

..…...

Dinner was uneventful. It

Pretty much consisted of the triplets catching up with their parents while me, Archer, and Beth watched awkwardly from the sidelines. Occasionally, Daemon would try to draw me into the conversation, but I always ended up being butt out by his parents.

The same went for Beth and Archer and to top it all off, they made constant little jabs towards us whenever they could. "So, Bella," Sam said. "It's Beth." I said blandly. She shot me a look. "Right. Did you cook this?" She gestured towards the food. Beth gave a nervous smile. "Umm, I helped. To be honest, I'm not much of a cook. Dee and Katy did most of the cooking."

Her expression was one of disapproval, but she said nothing. Beth's shoulders slumped. "And you, what was it? Kristy?" She asked. Before I could respond, Daemon did so for me. "It's Katy, Mom." He said exasperatedly. She ignored that. "How far along are you? 6 or 7 months I'm guessing. Did you know that most Luxen women are put on strict bed rest around this time?"

The expression she wore was flat, but her gaze was shrewd. "Every moment that you spend running around playing house, you are endangering my grandchild, and I won't have it! Starting tomorrow, I expect to see you on strict bed rest." My eyes narrowed. Daemon's mother or not, I didn't take too kindly to being told what to do. "That's actually a great idea."

My head snapped towards Daemon in shock, but he was too busy nodding at his mother approvingly to see it. "Now just wait a minute," I said impatiently. "shouldn't I get some sort of say in this? And why do I have to go on bed rest? I'm not carrying triplets, so what's the big deal?" Before Daemon's mother could answer he cut in. "The big deal is that this is the well being of our child were talking about here and if my mother says that we need to do this than she's probably right." I shook my head. "But, Daemon-"

"Enough, Kat." He cut me off mid sentence. His voice was calm, but the hint of steel in his tone told me not to push it. I stayed quiet the rest of the evening. By the time we had gotten home and slipped into bed, Daemon and I still had yet to speak. In the dark, Daemon sighed and rolled over, so that his chest was against my back and snaked an arm around my waist.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you during dinner," he said softly. "You know I'm just worried about you two." He said trailing his fingers down my stomach. He frowned. "He's not kicking. He's always kicking. Is he okay? How long has he been still? How do you feel?" He asked, frantic all of a sudden.

I chuckled quietly. "Relax, he's only been still for a few hours. He's just sleeping. It takes a lot to grow into a human being, you know." Daemon's body relaxed beside mine and he laughed. In that moment the baby kicked.

Daemon smiled, broad and beautiful. "Sorry, buddy. Didn't mean to wake you up." We grinned at each other. For a moment all our troubles were forgotten and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt like everything would be okay.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Katy's POV:

"Kat! I need you to wake up!" Daemon's urgent voice woke me. My eyes snapped open. Daemon was on his feet with a phone in hand. "What is it?" I asked fearfully. "I just got a phone call from Luc. Nancy's headed this way. We have to go. Now." I sucked in a sharp breath and crossed my arms protectively over my belly.

Daemon's eyes caught the movement and he was kneeling by my side in a heartbeat."I won't let her hurt our baby." He promised. I nodded. "Wait. I don't understand. Why do we have to leave? I thought that's why we came to the base in the first place, because they could keep us safe? Where will we go?"

I panicked. Daemon exhaled roughly as he yanked a suitcase out of the closet and began packing."Things have changed, Kitten. Nancy's gained some powerful followers. They can't protect us here anymore. Luc's got a cabin tucked away in the forests of Oregon. He thinks we'll be safe there for the duration of your pregnancy." My eyes went wide.

"The duration of my pregnancy?" I repeated dumbly. "What happens when it's time for me to deliver?" I asked incredulously. Daemon began to pace. "I already cleared it with Archer. He'll deliver our baby." My jaw hit the floor. "I know, I know. Archer wouldn't necessarily be my first choice either, but kitten, he's the best we've got right now, and I trust him with my life, and more importantly, I trust him with our baby's life." I opened my mouth to protest, but then I realized how hard this must be for him. All he wanted was to keep us safe, and it must be driving him crazy right now that he couldn't.

Sighing, I simply nodded and got up to help him pack. When we were done, we headed to the living room. I was surprised to find everyone there, packed and ready, including Daemon's parents, Hunter, and Serena. I turned towards Daemon. "You don't waste any time, do you?" He shot me a look, and turned toward the group. "Is everyone ready?" They all nodded. Sometimes I wondered where we'd be without Daemon. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Everyone stiffened. I moved to a standing position, but Daemon gently pushed me back down and strode towards the door. When he opened it, Luc strolled in with Nadia on his heels. I had to say, the girl looked better than the last time I saw her. She was still just as beautiful as the day I met her, but now there was more life in her eyes and some of the color had returned to her cheeks. On top of that, she was no longer pin needle thin, either. I gave her a smile, which she returned and made her way over to me, where she sat on the opposite end of the couch.

"Alright, I assume Daemon has filled all of you in on what's been going on." Luc said. We all nodded. "Great, well, now we can discuss transportation. We can't use the chopper because that's what Nancy will be looking for, which means we'll be getting to Oregon by car. It'll take at least a day to get there. We'll all split up. I've got three black Hummers outside. Their pretty spacious, so I'd say about four of you to a single car. Serena and Hunter, with Dawson, Beth, and Ash. I already discussed this with Hunter. He'll be driving. Archer and Dee, with Kat and Daemon. Archer will drive. Me and Nadia will drive separately with Sam and Dean." Everyone voiced their agreement and began to stand. Sighing, I waited for Daemon to make his way over to me and help me into a standing position. Once we were all on our feet, we filed out of the door and to where the Hummers waited. It was still dark out as we climbed into the cars. Archer slipped into the front seat, while Dee took the passenger seat, and Daemon and I took the back. Not even bothering with the safety belt, Daemon picked me up and placed me in his lap. Sighing contentedly, I rested my forehead against his shoulder and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

...…...

I was abruptly woken by a sharp kick in the ribs, followed by a deep chuckle. I scowled as I rubbed my side, tiredly. "Alright, alright, I'm up." I moaned. Daemon grinned and placed a hand on my stomach. "Maybe he's hungry?" Daemon wondered. "Are you hungry, Adam? Is that why you feel the need to make mommy so uncomfortable?" He asked, teasingly. There was another kick. Daemon laughed and I groaned. "God, he's already defiant, and he's not even born, yet. He's going to be such a daddy's boy." Dee joked, from the front seat. We all laughed. About three hours into the ride, the song Just One Yesterday by Fall Out Boy came on the radio and I began flailing around like a demented muppet baby, earning weird looks from both Dee and Daemon. Archer, on the other hand, shocked everyone by singing along with me. Dee and Daemon stared at both of us, mouths hanging open. My cheeks were on fire. "What?" I mumbled when they continued to stare. "It's a good song..."

Once we finally stopped at the nearest gas station, the first thing I did was pee. Once I was finished in the bathroom, I skipped toward Daemon, where he waited in the drink aisle, apparently still deliberating between gatorade and diet coke. I stared longingly at the Pepsi can in his hands that he'd gotten at Dee's request. It'd been so long since I'd had caffeine of any kind, but I knew better than to drink it.

Though the doctor didn't particularly prohibit caffeine, she did tell us that it wasn't a good idea, and when I did drink it, Daemon didn't say anything, but continued to stare at me like I was poisoning our baby. It wasn't worth it. Sighing, I grabbed a bottle of water instead. "You're in a good mood." He noted as he went to grab the Gatorade. I grinned up at him and shrugged.

He smiled fondly at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we walked towards the cash register. We ate lunch in our cars and then hit the road again where I passed out for a few more hours. When I woke, it was dark and we were driving through thick wilderness. "How long have I been out?" I asked Daemon. He trailed his knuckles over my cheek. "Almost five hours." My eyes widened. Who knew a baby could take so much out of you. He smiled and placed a dry kiss on my lips. "We should be there any minute now." He said. "Well that's-" I sucked in a sharp breath. "Kat?" He asked, concerned. "Look." Was all I said. When he look ahead, his mouth dropped open. When Luc said he had a cabin out here, I expected small cottage made out of wood or something, not a freaking mansion.

The place had to be at least four stories tall and it was made completely out of quartz. It reminded me of something... Then It hit me. It was an exact replica of the place we'd stayed at after we'd escaped Daedalus. "You've got to be joking." Daemon said, helping me out of the car as everyone began to unload. Luc appeared be behind us in a heartbeat. "Pretty sweet, huh? I had it built a few years back just in case shit were to ever hit the fan. Alright guys, take whatever rooms you want and there's a pool and garden area, along with a library and game room. Underneath, in the basement, is where we keep all the weapons and medical supplies. Get settled. I need to check up on a few things, but I'll be back." He announced. With that he strode into the house with Nadia.

With that, everyone took turns carting things into the house, except for me, because Daemon refused to let me carry anything. Once we had all chosen our rooms and set our thing down, we all met in the enormous living room to discuss what we'd do. "How long are we supposed to stay here?" Serena asked. Daemon sighed.

"We're going to be here for at least two to three months. However long it takes for the government to come up with a solution to this whole Nancy problem." He explained tiredly. "Wait a minute," Dee piped in, concerned. "Kat's already seven months along in her pregnancy and there isn't a hospital around for miles. What are we going to do when it's time?" All eyes went to Daemon and I. Archer stood. "I'll be delivering him." He said simply.

Everyone in the room gaped. "Are you even qualified to deliver a baby?" Beth asked in a choked voice. Archer gave a sheepish smile. "I did some research, took a few classes. I fairly sure I know how the whole thing works." Dee's head snapped towards Daemon. "And you're okay with this?" Dee asked incredulously. "We kind of have no choice, Dee. Besides, he's the most qualified out of everyone in this room." He said, frustratedly. She still looked unsure. "But, Daemon-" he was suddenly on his feet. "Do you think I like this, Dee?" He snapped.

"I'm placing the lives of my wife and child in the hands of guys I don't even like." Archer rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks." He muttered. Daemon continued as if he hadn't heard him. "Don't you think I've thought of all the repercussions, all the things that could possibly go wrong? It's all I've thought about. So, don't lecture me Dee." With that, he strode out of the living room, slamming the door behind him.

...

After search practically the entire house, I found Daemon in the garden area, leaning against one of the giant pillars. He sighed before turning around to face me. Those expressive green eyes I loved so much, were closed off.

The longer he stared at me without saying anything, the more agitated I grew. "Well, are you going to tell me what happened back there?" I asked impatiently. He looked away. "Nothing." he replied stiffly. I felt the anger in me build. I had no idea why he was acting this way, and I was pissing me off. " ." I seethed. "Something's bothering you, I can tell. You've been acting strange ever since-" Daemon stepped forward. "Drop it, Katy." He warned, voice low. I was too angry to be shocked at the use of my full name. "No, not until you tell me what's going on." I shouted. "This!" He shouted, gesturing towards my stomach.

"I'm scared out of my mind that you won't make it or Adam won't. You're so tiny, Kat. What if you can't..." He exhaled roughly and began to pace. "Daemon.." I said, placing a hand on his arm, intending to soothe him. He would have none of it.

He yanked his arm out of my grip. "Don't," he shouted harshly, and I flinched. He turned his back to me and yanked his fingers roughly through his hair. "Sometimes I wish you'd never gotten pregnant in the first place." He said. I gasped and and tears filled my eyes.

I wrapped my arms around my middle protectively, as if I could some how keep the hurtful from reaching my baby. In a daze, I stumbled towards the side of the house and into the surrounding woods, going farther and farther out, until I felt I'd put a suitable amount of distance between us. Finally, I collapsed on the ground and began to sob. I don't know how long I cried, but when I lifted my head from my arms, it was dark out, and I knew I needed to head home.

Slowly, but surely, I got to my feet. I hadn't even made it three feet before I doubled over in pain. I'd felt pain like this before, I noted, as dread began to stir in the pit of my stomach. Oh god, please not now. Usually these pains only lasted a few minutes, but something was different. With Braxton hicks, the contractions were usually pretty far apart and tended to stay that way. But these continued to grow closer together and more painful by the minute.

These were real, honest to god, labor pains. I was so screwed. There was no way in hell I'd be able to get back to the house on my and not only that, but more importantly, my baby was a month and a half early. I remembered voicing my concerns to Archer about what we were going to do if the baby came early, and according to him, he brought some type of antibiotic that could apparently stop the labor. I felt the tiniest sliver of relief at that memory.

All I had to do was hold on. Some one had to have noticed I was missing by now, and had to be looking for me. Once they found me, we could get back to the house and stop the labor and everything would be fine.

I gasped as a particularly painful contraction ripped through me. I half sat, half collapsed against the nearest tree, and had to bite my lip to keep from screaming. They'd better hurry, because by some primal instinct, I knew it wouldn't be much longer...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Katy's POV:

Sweat dotted my brow as I squeezed my fists shut until my knuckles turned white and I could feel my nails biting into my palms. Sucking in several deep breaths, I tried to maneuver myself into a somewhat standing position.

I'd been out here for about half an hour, when I'd finally accepted the fact that they wouldn't get here in time. Slowly, I made my way down the path, only drop to my knees once again when the next contraction hit. I couldn't help but cry out when the excruciating pain wrapped around my stomach, spreading to my back. When it was finally over, I slumped forward, dropping onto all fours, panting.

I wasn't going to make it to the house and the last thing I wanted to do was have this baby alone, in the middle of the woods. I bit back a sob. Curling up against the nearest tree, I carefully sat back and cradled my belly. "Hold on, baby. Mommy's going to find a way out of this. I know daddy's angry right now, but I also know for a fact, he didn't mean what he said. He's just worried, that's all. He loves us very much, and he doesn't want us to get hurt. He'll find us. When he does, he'll take us to uncle Archer. He'll help us. He has some medicine that should stop the contractions." I continued soothingly.

"So you just have to hold on, okay Adam?" He kicked and I ran my hand over the tiny foot. My hand clenched atop my belly as another contraction hit, this one much worse than the others. My back arched against the tree trunk I rested against.

I let out a cry of agony. There was a rustling noise behind me, but I was in too much pain to be concerned. "Kitten?" Daemon's voice was a mixture of relief and worry. I wanted to answer him, but the pain intensified and I let out a strangled scream.

Daemon was by my side in an instant, cradling me in his lap. "Kitten what is it? What's wrong? Is it the baby?" He asked, fearfully. I shook my head as I gasped for breath, still reeling from the pain. "Daemon, I'm in labor. Their not Braxton hicks. He's coming. For real this time." I panted.

Daemon's eyes widened and he shook his head in denial. "That can't be. He's more than a month early. There has to be a way to stop the contractions." He murmured that last part to himself. I could tell he was racking his brain, trying to figure it out. "Wait a minute. Doesn't archer have some sort of antibiotic or something that stops the contractions?" I nodded breathlessly.

Determination lit those green eyes, making them shine like newly polished gems. Dropping a kiss on my sweaty forehead, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Archer." He said into the phone, voice low and frantic. "I found her. You guys can stop searching. Look, I need you guys to head back to the house and prep the medical room. Kat's in premature labor. We need to stop the contractions. You have the stuff right?"

Relief was evident on his face. "Good. We'll be there in a few seconds. Be ready." With that, he clicked the phone shut, and ever so gently, he lifted me into his arms. "Everything will be okay, Kat. Just hang in there." I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

Daemon hadn't been kidding when he said we'd be there in a few seconds. One second we were in the woods, the next I was being carried into the house with a dozen worried voices talking over each other. Daemon seemed to pay no mind to them as he carried me into the basement, where Archer waited with a wicked looking syringe in his hand.

"Just lay her on the table." Archer said calmly. Daemon did so gently. "Kat? I need you to lift your shirt up, ok? " I nodded and pulled up my shirt, exposing the flesh of my swollen stomach.

I let out a hoarse cry as another contraction ripped through me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I reached out blindly for Daemon's hand. His hand was wrapped securely around mine, almost immediately. All of a sudden, I felt this intense pressure, urging me. "Daemon. I think I need to push." I gritted out.

Archers voice was sharp when he spoke. "Do not push, Kat. Whatever you do, don't push." I nodded, but I was harder said than done. Not pushing was like fighting my body's natural instinct. At this point, tears were streaming down my face. "It's hurts, Daemon." I whimpered. He cooed at me and brushed my sweaty hair off my damp forehead.

"I know," he whispered."but, I promise, It will all be worth it in the end. I know it hurts, but just try to keep him in there a little bit longer, okay? I know you can do this." I didn't have time to respond to his words, because the short reprieve was over and I another contraction building up. "Oh God..." I groaned as my back arched.

"Do it already!" He growled, never once letting go of my hand. That was all the go ahead Archer needed. I felt a sharp prick on the side of my belly, than the contraction immediately began to subside. I let out a relieved breath and slumped against the cool table. Some words were exchanged between Archer and Daemon, then I heard the receding of footsteps and a door being closed.

Suddenly, Daemon was by my side again and carefully lifting me off the table. The contractions came and went as he carried me up the stairs, but I barely felt them. He gently deposited me into bed, once we'd reached our room, and slid the covers over me. I expected him to get into bed with me, but instead, he knelt down at my bedside and wrapped his arms around my midsection, while also burying his head in my stomach.

"I'm sorry." He whispered in anguish. Only then did I feel the beads of moisture seeping through my thin cotton t shirt. He was crying. Daemon never cried. "This was all my fault. I was being selfish. I don't deserve you or this baby, but I'll try my best. Will you forgive me Kat?" He begged, voice hoarse.

I ran my fingers through his hair and sighed. "Of course I forgive you, and I know you're scared. I am too, but you can't keep freaking out on me like this." I whispered. He made a sound deep in his throat. "I promise I'll be there for both of you. This won't happen again. I love you, Kat." He said softly.

He then placed his hands on my stomach. "I love you, too. And I plan on being the best dad I can be for you. I'll never leave you or your mommy again." He grinned when the baby kicked. I smiled tiredly. Eventually, he climbed into bed with me and wrapped his arms around me, and everything was right again.

...…...

I woke up to the sound of laughing, a very impatient baby kicking me in the ribs, two sets of hands on my belly. I smiled when I opened my eyes to see Daemon and Dee leaning over me and laughing as they felt the baby kick. Relief was evident on Dee's face when she met my eyes. "Oh, good! You're awake. We were so worried, Kat!" She said, throwing her arms around me.

The baby kicked underneath her, and she immediately let go, only to wrap her arms around my middle. Daemon and I chuckled. "Alright, Dee. I think they've had enough." Dee snorted, but loosened her chokehold. "Don't ever scare us like that again." She said sternly to my belly, giving it a pat. I could tell Dee wanted to know more about what had happened, but she wouldn't push me for more information than I was willing to give, and for that, I was grateful.

I grinned at Daemon. "It's not his fault. He's just impatient like his daddy." I said. Daemon rolled his eyes, but I could tell he was enjoying this. "God forbid, the kid inherits his dad's temper. Then we're all screwed." Said a new voice from the door. We all looked up to see Dawson standing in the doorway with a groggy Ashley on his hip. "Hey guys. Ash and I just wanted to see how Kat was doing."

As soon as her amethyst gaze met mine, she was wide awake and struggling to be put down. Dawson laughed and set her on her feet. In no time, she toddled to the side of the bed I was on. Dee smiled and pulled the little origin onto her lap. Ash's wide eyes were no longer trained on mine, but on my stomach. Fascinated, we all watched as she gingerly place both of her chubby baby hands on my belly.

The baby kicked, and Ashley giggled. "Baby?" She said, her soft pixie-like voice questioning. Dawson came to kneel by the bed, smiling fondly at his daughter. "Yeah, sweetheart. Uncle Daemon and Aunt Kat are going to have a baby." Her elfin features pinched with confusion. "When's he going to come out?" We all laughed. Daemon was the one to answer her question. "Well, from the looks of it, it won't be much longer now." She smiled, pleased with his answer.

After a few minutes of talking, Dawson scooped her up. "Sorry guys, but I gotta get this one some breakfast. Speaking of which, mom, cooked enough to feed a small army. So you guys should probably get downstairs." We said our goodbyes to Ash as they headed to the kitchen. "That's sounds like a good idea. I'm starving!"

With that, Dee placed a quick kiss on my cheek and pranced out of the room. With Dee gone, Daemon scooted closer and pressed a kiss to my temple. "You should eat." He said gently. Knowing he was right, I nodded. "You feel up to going downstairs? because I can bring the food up here." And I knew he would, because Daemon was just that sweet, but I was tired of sitting in this bed and the baby was restless, and I knew the only thing that soothed him was movement.

Sighing, I shook my head and kissed his cheek. Slowly, he helped me out of bed, and we went downstairs. Dawson hadn't been kidding when he said Sam had made enough food for a small army. Trays of food were stacked on the counters, table, and anywhere there was open space really. As soon as I walked into the kitchen, everyone crowded around Daemon and I to ask if I was okay. After reassuring them all, we started breakfast. Daemon piled so much onto my plate, I was sure they were going to have to roll me out of here.

When breakfast ended, we were all stuffed, and each couple pretty much went off to do their own thing. Daemon and I ended up with Dawson and Beth in the movie room, watch episode after episode of Ghost Investigators, while Ash dozed off on Beth's lap.

The three of them sat on a blanket spread out on the floor, while Daemon and I took the couch. We laughed and joked around, and for once, things were almost normal.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Authors note: At some point, due to total lack of inspiration at the moment, this might start to look a bit like Breaking Dawn. You have been warned.

Katy's POV:

"Breathe, Kat. Just breathe." Daemon said soothingly as he coached me through the last of the Braxton hicks contractions. As the contraction began to subside, I relaxed my death grip on his hand and Dee's, who sat on my other side. Dee was pale as she placed a hand on my stomach. "Does it always hurt like that?" She asked quietly. "Pretty much," Beth answered for me, from the foot of the bed in the medical room. I'd Only wanted her, Dee, Daemon, and Archer in here when the contractions had started.

"Jesus," she whispered, rubbing my stomach absentmindedly. "I am never getting pregnant." I expected Daemon to make a crack about Dee's statement, but he was too busy rubbing my belly worriedly, while finishing a heated discussion with Archer.

::::::::::::::::::::: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯::::::::::::::::::

Daemon's POV:

"How much longer do we have?" I demanded in a low voice. I didn't worry about Kat hearing us, because she was in the middle of a conversation with Dee and Beth. Archer inhaled a ragged breath. "Maybe a few weeks." He said gravely.

The baby kicked under my palm and fear seized my chest. "Will it be safe?" I asked gruffly. Archer sighed. "It's hard to tell. She is 38 weeks along, but she needs to be at least 40, before she can deliver." Two weeks? At the rate these contractions were coming, we would have a baby any day now. Archer must have sensed

my worry, because he was quick to reassure me.

"Hey, that's what the antibiotics are for. I'm confident that we can hold off the labor for long enough. Don't stress, okay? Katy and the baby will make it through this." I nodded, but I wasn't entirely convinced. I could see why the little guy was in such a hurry to come out. It had to be pretty cramped in there.

There was no way to accurately keep track of the baby's growth, but Kat was huge and could only stand for a few minutes at a time, before her feet started to turn blue. I had a feeling this kid was coming sooner rather than later. "You," Archer said, addressing Kat specifically. "I'm putting you on bed rest for the remainder of this pregnancy.

It we're going to stand any chance of delivering this baby on time, we need to make sure you don't do anything to trigger your contractions. Got it?"

We both nodded. Scooping her up, I carried her out of the medical room, and up the stairs to our room. I set her down on the bed, then climbed in. I placed a hand on her belly as she began to doze off, and prayed to every god there was, that my wife and my baby would make it out of this. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt a massive kick and Kat's pained yelp.

I was by her side instantly. "Kitten, what is it?" I asked, concerned. Dragging in an unsteady breath, she sat up slowly. "He's never kicked me that hard before, that's all. It hurt." She grimaced. Fear and panic struck me then. The baby was obviously getting stronger.

I made a mental note to ask Beth later if she'd ever experienced anything like this. Despite Kats reassurances that she was fine, it still did nothing to ease my worry. Especially since she was still rubbing the side of her belly.

I began to pull up her shirt. Underneath,on the side of her belly, a large purple bruise was already beginning to form. I sucked in a sharp breath. Lowering my self to my elbows, I pressed my lips against the bruise.

"Hey Adam? It's your daddy. I know there's not a lot of room in there, but you need to be gentle with mommy. She's not as strong as you are." Upon speaking these words, I felt a hesitant nudge against my hand. Kat sighed and placed her hand on top of mine.

"Poor guy's running out of room in there." She said softly. Just then someone knocked on the door. "Come in." Kat called softly. Nadia poked her head in. "Hey guys, just wanted to tell you that dinners ready." I smiled. "Thanks, Nadia." She returned the smile and quietly shut the door.

Helping Kat to her feet, we exited the room and slowly descended down the staircase. Once we entered the dining room, I ushered Kat to her seat and quickly grabbed two plates and began filling them up with one of everything."Katy, dear" said my mother in a sugary sweet voice. Dammit. "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be upstairs resting?" Kat stiffened and wrapped her arms protectively around her belly.

The whole table had gone silent. "Well, it's just, I've been in the room all day. I wanted to walk around for a change..." Kat trailed off, her voice dropping to a whisper. Anger flared in me. I took a seat beside Kat. "Leave her alone, Mom. Remember what Archer said about stress." I warned. "Your mother didn't mean anything by it, son. She's merely concerned about the well being of her grandchild." My father said in a smooth voice.

From the corner of my eye I caught Dee roll her eyes. Like me, she loved them, but she also knew how ridiculous they could be. It was no secret that they didn't like Kat, Beth, or Archer, but they were our parents, and Dee, Dawson, and I, were determined to make it work. We were twenty minutes into the dinner and Kat still hadn't touched anything on her plate, but wrung her hands together nervously under the table. Under the table, I placed a hand on her belly.

Adam wasn't kicking,(a rarity) which meant he must've been sleeping. "You need to eat." I said in a low voice. "For the baby." She nodded and began to nibble on some of the chicken I'd put on her plate. I was about to place more food on her plate, when I heard the sound of glass shattering in the living room.

The window. Archer, Luc, Dawson, Hunter, and I, were on our feet instantly, while Dee pulled Kat behind her. I shot her a grateful look. Kat scowled. The five of us soundlessly made our way to the living room. The little hairs on my neck rose. Luxen. They were here. Turning the corner first, I caught sight of two figures standing by the broken window in the living room. The lights flickered on and we all gasped. In torn, dirty, blood spattered clothes, stood Ash and Andrew.


	13. Author'a note

Author's note: hey guys, just wanted to give you a heads up that I have written a couple more chapters, but I don't plan to post them until I get at least five more reviews. (From different people. ) not trying to be evil, here. It's just nice to know my work is being appreciated and I'm not just writing a bunch of random crap that people don't bother reading, like a crazy women. Thank you. Please review!


	14. Chapter 13 (official)

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Author's note: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews and support! To reward you all, I am going to be posting a chapter a day starting now, and ending this Sunday!

Daemon's POV:

I was only capable of staring. Andrew gave a tired wave. "Hey guys..." He said, awkwardly. The room erupted in questions. The others must have heard the all the racket because Dee was the first to whiz past us and throw her arms around Andrew and Ash.

Surprisingly, they both returned her embrace just as fiercely. It was their turn to be shocked when Dawson and Beth entered the room with Ashley, but nothing beat the look on their faces when a very pale, and very pregnant Kat waddled into the room. Andrew rubbed the back of his neck, while Ash continued to stare at Kat's stomach.

"Looks like we've all got some explaining to do." I said. After we all exchanged strained greetings, I asked the obvious. "Not that we're not happy to see you, but how are you alive? We were all there when you..." I trailed off, not knowing how to phrase it.

Ash sighed. "That's what they wanted you to think. The PEP weapon they used on us weren't actually the real thing. They were actually stun guns." Andrew nodded. "In fact, they'd planned to knock us all out and bring us back to Daedalus, but obviously, they were only able to grab Ash and I. Once everything had calmed down and we'd been released, we looked everywhere for you. Then we heard that Nancy was still alive and that you guys had gone into hiding.

General Eaton gave us your location, but couldn't provide us with any protection. He said he didn't have the men to spare. We were on our own." He said, gesturing to their trashy appearances. Ash's face screwed up in disgust as she looked down at herself, but remarkably, she said nothing. Andrew continued. "We were chased by some of Nancy's goons, but lost them a few miles back. We weren't followed." He assured us. Both their gazes bounced back to Kat and Ashley.

"Care to explain that?" Ash asked impatiently. Dawson stepped forward and picked up Ashley. "Guys, this is Ashley. She's 2 years old. She's our Daughter." He said, wrapping an arm around Beth. Andrew's eyes widened and Ash gasped. Dawson continued. "We named her after you, Ash." Astonishingly, Tears ran down Ash's cheeks. "Why?" She asked, clearly shaken. "Remember what went down in L.A. ? Well, Beth was already three months pregnant by then, and what you did saved both their lives. We wanted to thank you somehow, and what better way than to give her your name." Ash took a step towards them.

"Can... Can I hold her?" She asked hesitantly. Dawson smiled and gently placed Ashley in her arms. Ashley stared at her for a moment, as if she was trying to decide something. Then she threw her tiny arms around Ash's neck. Ash laughed and gave her a tight squeeze, before handing her back to Dawson. Somehow I knew that a bond had just been forged between them, and no matter what, Ashley would always have her aunt Ash looking out for her, just like Adam would always have his aunt Dee looking out for him. "Well that's great, but it still doesn't explain..."

He gestured towards Kat. I made my way over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Ash's eyes narrowed. "Oh God, please don't tell me it's yours." She said, disgusted. Kat glared. "Of course it's his. Got a problem with that?" She huffed. Ash smirked, but it didn't meet her eyes. "When are you due?" She asked, curious. "Two more weeks." Kat replied grudgingly. Andrew's jaw dropped. "That's soon. How do you plan to get her to the hospital?" He asked. Archer stepped forward. "That's actually where I come in. I'll be delivering this baby." Andrew looked even more bewildered. His head swung in my direction. "And you're okay with this?" I gritted my teeth. "We don't have another choice." I said shortly. He wisely dropped it. "She's been having contractions all week. Stress is mostly what triggers them, so..." Dee trailed off. Ash huffed. "Oh please, like I would let that happen. I have no desire to see that baby being born, and would gladly hold it off for as long as possible." She said, rolling her eyes. "You and me both," Serena muttered under her breath.

I growled, and Hunter stepped in front of her, blocking my glare. My mother and father stepped forward. My mother reached out to place a hand on Ash's cheek. "You look just like your mother." She murmured, tears in her eyes. Both Andrew and Ash gasped. "You knew our mother?" Andrew asked in a choked whisper. My father nodded. "Of course. We knew your father, as well. They were good people. They were with us when we first got here." He said.

"How did you guys come to be friends?" Ash asked, wiping away a few stray tears. My mother was the one to answer. "Well you see, when we got there, your mother and I happened to be the only pregnant female Luxen, so naturally, the two of us could not be assimilated until we had the babies. Because it was just the two of us, the D.O.D put us in the same quarters until it was time to deliver. In that time, your mother and I got to know each other very well. She was my best friend. We both had roughly the same due date, though she went into labor a few days before me. For the first week we were allowed to keep you all with us, but neither of us was naive enough to believe they'd let us keep you forever. We knew at some point they'd take you all away to be assimilated and that there was a good possibility we'd never see you again. Your mother and I were heartbroken. You know, those few days we had with all if you, we spent fantasizing about your futures, about what amazing lives you would all lead. I guess it was our way of coping with the fact that we wouldn't be there with you. But they loved you so much. Especially your mother."

At this point pretty much all the females were crying. Even Kat was crying softly into my chest. Her stomach was pressed up against mine and I felt Adam kick, as if sensitive to his mother's distress. I dreaded the question I knew was coming. "What happened to them?" Andrew asked, uncertainly, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. My mother closed her eyes and leaned into my father for support.

"As I said, your mother was heartbroken when you were all taken from her. She put up a fight. She tried to get you back, but the D.O.D caught her. I never saw her again, nor did ever see your father." She finished quietly. Ash's shoulders sagged. d voice, Andrew spoke."Do you guys have a place for us to sleep?" Dee volunteered to show them to their rooms, while the rest of us went to bed

...

Katy

I couldn't believe this was happening. Ash and Andrew were alive. I wiggle out of Daemons embrace and left him asleep on the bed. Sleep wasn't happening any time soon. The baby gave hard kick and I doubled over. The kicks had grown increasingly more painful since dinner, like he was trying to kick his way out of me. I hadn't told Daemon, because I knew he would only worry.

Heading down to the kitchen, I fixed myself a midnight snack. After I'd finished, I leaned against the counter and pondered for a few moments about nothing in particular. "Katy?" Startle by the voice, I whipped around, my hands flying to my chest. Ash stood in the doorway, in nothing but a short, sheer, white night gown. Her blond hair was longer than I'd ever seen it, going down to her collar bones. There we large dark circles under those cerulean eyes.

She gave a faint smirk. "You couldn't sleep either?" She asked in a throaty voice. She sounded like she'd been crying. "Not with this little guy using my kidney a his own personal punching bag." I said, rubbing my belly fondly. Her gaze grew curious. She took a few steps towards me and outstretched her hand. "Can I feel..?" She asked hesitantly. I smiled at her and nodded, and she placed her hand lightly on my stomach.

The baby began kicking ferociously and I winced. "Are you okay?" She asked. I nodded. "It's nothing, he's just strong, that's all." She shot me a surprised look. "He? What are you guys planning to call him?" I placed a hand on top of hers. "We were gonna call him Adam, if that's okay with you." I said quietly. She gasped and when I looked up, fresh tears were coursing down her cheeks. "I...Thank you." With that, she slipped her hand out from under mine and left the kitchen. Shaking my head and smiling, I headed back up the stairs to the room Daemon and shared

. I opened the door to find him awake on our bed, arms folded behind his head, and one coal black brow arched. I smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't sleep." I said, hurrying to my side of the bed and climbing in. Daemon chuckled and placed a hand on my belly. "Baby been keeping you up?"

He asked, softly stroking by stomach. "Yeah, but I think I finally got him to sleep." The baby kicked my side, and Daemon grinned. "Or not." He murmured, placing a kiss where the baby kicked. I was about to say something, when something warm and wet seeped between my thighs. Looking down, I gasped when I saw the blood. "Daemon..." I whispered frantically.

Without waiting another second, he'd already scooped me up into his arms and carried me to the medical room, while shouting for Archer and Dee. Meanwhile, I clutched my belly tight and prayed to every god I knew of, that I didn't lose this baby. The cool padding of the medical table pressed into my back as Daemon set me down. In a heartbeat, Archer was there and checking in between my legs. Daemon growled.

Archer ignored him. "Looks like a Placental Abruption." Archer murmured. "Speak english, Archer." Daemon snarled. Archer sighed. "It's when the placenta that is supposed to be attached to the wall of the uterus gets detached. Doctors would suggest a Cesarean, but since that's obviously not an option right now, we'll just have to wait until your due date." I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Is it safe?" I asked in a choked voice. Archer grimaced. "The delivery process will probably last longer and contractions will probably be more painful, but it is still possible to deliver a healthy baby." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Daemon held my hand. "I'll leave you two alone to discuss this." Archer said, closing the door behind him. Daemon wrapped his arms around me. "You'll both be okay." He whispered to me softly. I nodded, and prayed that was true.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Authors note: sorry guys, I know I haven't been updating like I said I would, and I apologize profusely for my extended absence. It's been really hectic lately, but I promise I will not let you down. Those five chapters that were promised will come today and throughout out this week! I promise!

Katy's POV:

Daemon and I were lounging on the sofa watching a movie in the screening room when Archer burst through the door. The look on his face was one of determination. "Daemon, I need to talk to you, but I need you not to freak out, okay?" Daemon's eyes narrowed and I squeezed the hand resting on my belly in warning.

I had a feeling I knew what this was about, and Daemon most definitely would not be a happy camper when he found out. Daemon took a deep breath. Not a good sign. "Well, you see, the last time someone told me not to freak out, it was my brother, and he told me that he'd healed a human girl, which is what started this whole chain of events. So you can see why that phrase does not put me at ease." Archer swallowed. "I'm going to ask Dee to marry me." He deadpanned.

Daemon's grip on my hand turned nearly painful, but Archer kept talking. "I already cleared it with Dawson. I need you to know that I plan to marry her no matter what, but I know it would be really important to her if we had your blessing.

" All Daemon and I had to do was look at each other.

I squeezed his hand and he nodded. "You have my blessing, Archer." Daemon sighed. Archer looked suspicious. "Really? Just like that?" Daemon rolled his eyes. "Look, I may not be all that fond of you, but I happen to know for a fact that my sister loves you, and that you make her happy, so yes, you have my blessing." Archer let out a relieved breath."Thanks, Daemon. I plan on asking her tonight at dinner."

I smiled. I started to nod off while Daemon gave Archer the obligatory 'If You Ever Hurt My Sister, I'll Chop Your Balls Off' speech. When I woke up, it was nearly dark out.

I was in the room that Daemon and I shared, and he was sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room attentively reading a book titled 'What to Expect, When You're Expecting'. I giggled. He looked up and grinned. In a heartbeat, he was on the bed and by my side, placing both hands on my stomach. "Tell your mommy to stop laughing at me, Adam." He said, speaking to my stomach in a way that made me grin. The baby rolled, and Daemons eyes lit up. "You know, as of today, his lungs are completely developed."

Hope blossomed inside me. "So, if he were to be born tonight, he'd still have a chance?" I asked. Daemon pressed a kiss to my forehead. "He'll be fine." I jumped when I heard yelling from downstairs. It sounded like Dee. Immediately I made a move to get up and see what was going on, but my feet hadn't even hit the ground when Daemon placed a hand on my arm. "Don't, Kat. You know what Archer said about stress. I'll check it out." He placed a quick kiss on my temple, and then was out the door. Sighing, I waddled after him, knowing that there was no way I was going to sit in bed while he handled all the hard stuff.

By the time I made it to the living room, I was surprised to find Dee and Archer shouting at each other. I looked around the room for Daemon, only to find him sitting on the couch next to the Thompsons, rubbing his temples. "Guys, what's going on ?" I asked, confused. Dee turned her furious gaze on me. "Is it true that you knew he was going to ask me to marry him?" She all but hissed. Daemon was on his feet in an instant. "Now wait a minute , Dee, it was me who gave Archer permission, so if you wanna blame someone, blame me. But leave Kat out of this." I rolled my eyes and stepped forward.

"Yes, I knew." I replied, in a slightly annoyed voice. "Why?" Dee stomped up to me. "How could you not tell me?" She screeched. My eyes widened. "I thought it was what you wanted!" I shouted back.

"All you ever talk about is how much you love him, and the life you two could have together. What's changed?" Dee's jaw clenched. "That's none of your business. Look, next time, keep yourself out of matters that don't concern you." Her tone was clipped and left no room for argument. Spinning on her heels gracefully, she walked out of the room. Archer half sat, half collapsed on one of the couches, and let out a long, suffering sigh.

I waddled over to where Archer sat and carefully lowered myself down next to him. "What happened?" I asked, perplexed. He lifted his head to answer, but kept his eyes closed. "I don't know. One minute I'm asking her to marry me, the next, she's yelling at me about how inconsiderate I was being, and how I never even bothered asking how she felt and if she was ready." Daemon frowned and sat on the arm of the couch beside me. "Is that true?" He asked.

Archer made a frustrated sound. "In a sense, I guess. I mean, we never really discussed marriage, but I love her and I know she loves me, and I always assumed that at some point down the road, we'd eventually tie the knot.

I get that it's probably a little sooner than anyone expected, but I didn't think she'd be so turned off by the idea, that she'd go as far as yell at me and Kat about it." He dragged his fingers through his hair. "Will you talk to her, Kat?" He pleaded. My heart cracked.

"Of course I will." I promised, but when I turned to Daemon, he was shaking his head. "No, Kat. She's hurt right now and will most likely say things she doesn't mean. It will hurt you, and you don't need the stress." I opened my mouth to protest, but Daemon held his hand up. Archer grimaced, but nodded in agreement."I'm sorry Kat, that was selfish of me to ask." He murmured. I put my hand on his shoulder, trying my best to comfort him.

"What are you going to do?" I asked quietly. "I'll probably wait until she's cooled down. Maybe see if I can't some damage control." His words were monotone, but the contours of his handsome face were drawn with pain.

My heart ached for them both. I knew Dee loved him, and he her, which made it all the more confusing as to why Dee not only turned him down, but continued to shriek at him for being so inconsiderate. 'Inconsiderate about what?' I wondered.

The only other time I'd ever seen her act so hostile was when Adam died, but that time had been so very long ago that it seemed- Wait. Adam. That's what all this was about. Adam. It all made so much sense now. Dee and Adam had spent their entire childhood and most of their teenage years with the expectation that they'd end up together eventually, until the night Adam had been so brutally ripped away from her.

Guilt nipped at the heels of that last thought and I winced. All that had been my fault. Shoving that aside to think about later, I came to the startling conclusion. Was it possible that Dee had rejected

Archer's proposal out of guilt, thinking that she was betraying Adam's memory? I couldn't think of any other theory. Slowly making my way out of the chair, I began pacing the length of the living room once everyone was gone, and replayed my theory to Daemon and Archer.

After I finished, Archer sat back in his chair and looked thoughtful.

Daemon on the other hand seemed to track my movements with his eyes, almost obsessively, as if he were worried I'd topple over any second. "I'm fine, Daemon." I said, Smiling reassuringly.

He nodded, and Archer jolted up. "And speaking of which, guys, we need to go over your birth plan. Do you guys know how you wanna do this?" Archer asked, concerned. Daemon frowned. "Well, what are our options?" He asked. Just then, Beth and Dawson walked in with Ashley in tow.

Taking a seat on the couch, Dawson picked Ash up and placed her on his lap. She giggled, and Beth smiled at us.

"Hey guys. What are you talking about?" She asked. "Just trying to figure out our birth plan. What did you guys do for Ash?" I asked, curious. Dawson shot Daemon a look that I couldn't decipher, and answered. "Well for most of her labor, she got an epidural, but of course when it came time to push, she did it all naturally." Daemon nodded, but Archer shook his head. "That won't work for Kat. Due to obvious complication, it'll be of extreme importance that we keep track of her contractions, but because we do not have the technology to do so, we'll have to rely on Katy being able to tell us when she's having a contraction, and she can't do that if she can't feel them." Archer stated, tiredly. At this point, everyone's faces were grave. I snorted. "I'll be fine, guys. It's nothing I can't handle." None of them looked relieved.

Later that night, Daemon and I sat in bed. It was past two in the morning, and it seemed that the baby just would not go to sleep, so of course, I couldn't either.

Daemon's had was currently resting by my stomach as he read aloud. We'd discovered a few nights ago that Daemons voice seemed to have this lulling effect on the baby that seemed to calm him down. Every so often, I'd feel this strange twinge in my stomach, but I usually ignored it, until one particularly painful one occurred, causing me to yelp. Daemon's hands immediately came to my stomach. "What is it?" He asked, frantic. "I don't know." I replied honestly. Daemon's brows drew together.

"Was it a contraction? Should I get Archer?" He asked, slightd. I shook my head. "They might've Braxton hicks. Let's just wait a few minutes." Daemon nodded, and for the next half an hour, Daemon and I talked about the most mundane things, like our favorite

TV shows or bands, and what color we wanted to paint the baby's room, once all this Nancy business was cleared up. When the next pans hit me, I was unprepared. I gasped when the contraction was over, and I felt a gush of fluids run down my legs. I looked at Daemon with wide eyes, and he stared back at me, looking just as bewildered. "Kitten. I think your water just broke." Daemon said, shocked.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: This book ( Lux series ) and all it's characters belong to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. I own nothing.

Katy's POV:

"Katy?" I let out a slow breath. As the contraction began to ease up, I loosened my death grip on Daemon's hand. We were halfway to the basement when I told Daemon to deposit me on the couch. I couldn't take the constant moving around. "I better go get Archer. I'll be right back, kitten."

Daemon said, reassuringly. I grabbed his wrist. "Wait," I whimpered. "Please don't leave me." Daemon placed a hand on my belly, which went hard as rock as soon as the next contraction hit. I squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth. "Archer!" Daemon shouted. Everything became hazy at that point. All I know is that the next time I opened my eyes, I was in the medical room.

Daemon was and Archer were speaking in low frantic voices at the foot of my bed, while Dee sat beside me, wiping a wet cloth over my forehead every once in a while, her eyes wide and terrified for me. I felt another contraction coming and groaned. "How much longer until I can push?" I ground out, desperately trying to keep my mind off of how much pain I was in.

Daemon's head snapped towards me and in a split second, he was on my other side, squeezing my hand gently. "Well, I checked you a few minutes ago and you were only three centimeters dilated. It could be a while." Arche responded gravely. I took a deep breath. This was going to be a long night.

...

Daemon's POV:

I winced when Kat increased her death grip on my hand, a sure sign she was having a contraction. They'd only gotten more intense as the night progressed, and after three hours of intense labor pains, she was only five centimeters dilated.

She had to make it to at least ten before she could start pushing. This was all my fault. I told myself I could handle this, that I could keep it together, for her sake, and at first, it hadn't been that hard. Yeah, she was in pain, but she was holding herself together, and I figured if she could go through all that and keep her shit together, then so could I.

Then, around three in the morning, the worst of the contractions hit, and she started to cry, and I sort of lost my shit. Dee and I had tried everything to ease the pain, including helping her change positions, rubbing her back, and even feeding her freaking ice chips, but nothing worked. No matter what we did, she was still in an ungodly amount of pain.

To make things worse, her contractions were only two minutes apart, making it so that she barely got any rest in between before they started back up again. At this point, Kat was sobbing softly into my chest.

Even Dee was crying. I couldn't take it. "Archer," I growled. "How much longer?" He sighed tiredly and walked to the end of the bed. "Kat, I need you to flip onto your back real quick, so I check to see how much you've

dilated." He said. Dee and I helped her onto her back. Archer checked between her legs and his eyes went wide. "What?" I asked, frantic.

Archer ignored me and quickly put on a pair of gloves. "Kat, you're at ten centimeters. On the count of three, I'm gonna need you to push, alright?" Kat nodded, tiredly, and I kissed her forehead. "You can do this, kitten, I know you can. Let's meet our baby."

She nodded and got into pushing position while me and Dee held her hands and encouraged her. About twenty minutes into it, Archer stopped her abruptly. "Kat, wait! I need you to stop pushing." A pool of dread settled in my stomach like stones. "What? Why?" Her voice dripped with panic. Dee spoke to her in low soothing tones, while I talked to Archer. "What is it?" I asked, fear evident in my voice. "It's what I thought. The baby's breech."

I couldn't speak for a moment. "Is that going to be a problem." I asked, carefully controlling my voice."No, but I will make things more difficult. The baby's in a more difficult position, meaning she will need to push even harder than before, but Daemon, she's been having contractions all night. Her body is exhausted. I'm not sure she has the strength it will take to push this baby out." In that moment, terror, real true terror, gripped me, it's icy fingers digging in deep. "She can do this." I said quietly. "She has to."

Turning around, I went back to Kat's side. Dee shot me a worried look, while Kat looked up at me, eyes filled with pain and exhaustion. "What's wrong, Daemon? What's wrong with my baby?" She pleaded, voice hoarse from screaming all night.

My heart broke, and my resolve hardened. "Nothing, baby. Nothing's wrong. On the count of three I need you to push for Archer and keep pushing until he tells you to stop, okay? I know you're tired, but I promise it will all be over soon. You're strong, Kat. You're a fighter. There is no doubt in my mind you can do this. And Dee and I will be right here, helping you through this, okay?" She nodded slowly and I watched as determination entered her eyes. "Okay." She said, voice frail, but full of quiet strength.

...

Half an hour later...

"Okay, one last push, Kat, and he'll be here." One last push? I wasn't sure I had it in me to take another breath. Forcing air into my lungs, I gave one last gut wrenchingly painful push.

Just when I felt like I couldn't push anymore and my body would surely give out on me, I heard the most beautiful cry pierce the room. Archer stood, suddenly, and presented Daemon and I with a little blue bundle. As if in a trance, Daemon took the little bundle and placed it in my arms. In that very second, something strange occurred.

As I held my baby, my son, I knew that I had to do whatever it took to protect him. Nothing else mattered. Not anymore. It was as if my whole world had suddenly shifted and now, this little guy was at it's center, and if anything ever happened to him... Suddenly, Daemon's arms tightened around me, but when I looked up, he wasn't staring at me, but at our son.

The look on his face was one of pure adoration and love, and I instantly knew that it was the same for him. He would do everything in his power to protect his son and he would die before he ever let anyone take him from us, just like I would. "Congratulations, you two. He's beautiful." Archer murmured, breaking both mine and Daemon's trance. Daemon looked at me in awe. "God, Kat... He's perfect. A gift. Thank you." He said, his voice thick with emotion.

I felt tears prick my eyes. "You made him too, you know." I croaked. He grinned at me. "I know, but I didn't carry him around inside of me for nine months and then give birth to him." I laughed. "That's true." I let my gaze wander back to our son in amazement. He really was beautiful. The perfect blend of Daemon's and my features. His eyes were a soft heather grey, lips plump and soft looking, and on his small head was good sized tuft of curly dark hair.

He was going to be a real looker one day. Something occurred to me then. "Daemon. He has my eyes." He smile contently. "I know. I think that's what I love most about him." Despite how sweet his comment was, he did not get what I was referring to. Than it clicked. "Oh, shit." He cursed. "Not around, Adam." I admonished. "Sorry, buddy." He mumbled. "Shouldn't he have purple eyes?" Dee asked, speaking for the first time since he'd been placed in my arms. She too had been too immersed in just looking at him to talk. "I think-" I was cut off when I felt pain grip my midsection. "Archer?!" I gasped. "What's going on Archer?" Daemon asked at the same time.

"Oh, fuck." was all Archer said, while he knelt between my legs. Daemon growled. "You better have a damn good reason for staring at my wife down there..." Archer acted as if he hadn't heard him. I began to feel an intense pressure between my legs, urging me to push. "Dee," I gritted out. "Take the baby." Without asking what was wrong, she immediately scooped him out of my arms and held him to her chest.

"You guys won't believe this... There's another baby." I was sure that I visibly paled and Daemons eyes were the size of saucers. "That's not possible." He said. Archer sent him a dry look. "Tell that to the head that's crowning out of your wife's vag-" I screamed when the contraction started. Archer went into complete doctor mode. "Push, Katy."

After about twenty minute of pushing, a second cry filled the room. "Congratulations...again. It's a girl." He placed the second baby in Daemon's arms, and for a second, I worried he would drop her. Archer and Dee looked at us in awe. "You guys are full of surprises, aren't you?" Archer murmured, shocked. "Well," Daemon said after a moment of silence."I guess this explains why you were so big."

Daemon bent down next to me and we stared at our daughter in wonder. She didn't have purple eyes, either. Her eyes were the color of freshly cut spring grass. Exact replicas of her daddy's. Her hair was curly, like her brother's, but was a light brown color, bordering on blonde. She was... There were no words. "We have a daughter." I whispered in amazement. I looked at Daemon and the expression on his face made my heart skip a beat. He no longer looked shell shocked, but content, as if everything that was occurring was meant to be.

I on the other hand, was a bit slower on the uptake. "Yes, we do. You know, I think we should name her after your mom. Let's call her Kellie." He said, absentmindedly as he stroked the tuft of hair on her head. I felt tears spill down my cheeks. "Thank you." I whispered. He placed a kiss on my forehead, but said nothing.

Dee grinned at us from my bedside and placed Adam back in my arms. We stared down at our children and I felt the most amazing sense of peace. Everything in our lives had been leading up to this point and I didn't think it was even possible to be any happier than I was in that instant.


End file.
